Crème Fraîche Pasta

This crème fraîche pasta with spinach and vegan prawns takes 15 minutes to make and is the perfect speedy midweek meal. Made with garlic, chilli, lemon, and parsley, this dish is certainly not lacking in flavour!

Ingredients

To make this speedy pasta dish you will need:

• Pasta, I used bucatini
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Protein – I used vegan prawns, but use any protein you like!
• Fresh red chilli 
• Crème fraîche
• Vegetarian Parmesan
• Baby spinach 
• Lemon juice
• Fresh parsley

How to make crème fraîche pasta

Firstly, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a cupful of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Tip in your protein, lower the heat slightly, and stir-fry until cooked through.

Now, turn the heat to low and add the crème fraîche and Parmesan. Once the cheese has melted stir through the spinach until just wilted.

Add in the drained pasta and stir to coat in the sauce. Loosen with a few splashes of pasta water, if necessary. Finally, stir through the lemon juice and fresh parsley. Serve!

How to use crème fraîche in pasta

Crème fraîche makes a deliciously creamy pasta sauce which pairs perfectly with the lemon and garlic flavours in this dish. However, you have to be careful not to curdle it. Before adding the crème fraîche turn the heat to low. Too much heat will cause curdling.

Furthermore, cooking crème fraîche for too long can cause curdling. Ensure you have all your ingredients ready so you can prepare the sauce as quickly as possible.

What can you use instead of crème fraîche in pasta?

I have made this pasta dish with a range of different dairy products, including Greek yoghurt, single or double cream, and sour cream. Simply play around with the quantities and add splashes of pasta water until you get your desired consistency. Ensure you keep the heat low, however, as all of these products may curdle.

Similar recipes

If you liked this recipe, why not try more of my pasta recipes?

• Creamy tomato and garlic pasta
• Creamy pesto pasta bake
• Roasted vegetable feta pasta

Crème fraîche Pasta

5 from 1 vote

Creamy crème fraîche pasta with spinach and vegan prawns. Flavoured with lemon, chilli, garlic, and parsley.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 906

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 180g/6⅓oz dried pasta I used bucatini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves finely sliced
• 180g/6⅓oz your choice of protein I used vegan prawns, you could use normal prawns, salmon, vegan chicken pieces etc.
• ¼-½ fresh red chilli finely sliced, adjust according to spice preference
• 200g/7oz crème fraîche
• 20g/¾oz grated vegetarian Parmesan
• 100g/3½oz baby spinach washed, drained, and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a cupful of pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sliced chilli to the pan and sizzle for 30 seconds. Add in your protein, lower the heat slightly, and and fry until cooked through – the time will depend on your protein.
3. Turn the heat to low and add your crème fraîche and parmesan. Stir until the cheese has melted before stirring through the spinach. Continue stirring until the spinach has just wilted.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pan. Toss the pasta to coat in the sauce, adding splashes of water until you have a smooth cohesive sauce. Remove from the heat. Finally, stir through the lemon juice and parsley and serve!