With fresh homemade pasta, this lobster ravioli tossed in a delicious tomato cream sauce is for those fancier occasions. Or if you just want a really good meal!
There really isn't much better than homemade pasta - from almond pesto fettuccine to butternut squash ravioli. Yes it is extra work, but just so satisfying to make and tastes way better to boot.
But have you had lobster pasta, or more importantly, lobster ravioli? If you haven't, you really are missing out. You've probably seen it at restaurants and debated ordering it, but just never took the plunge.
The sauce for lobster ravioli is super important in complementing the lobster. While a tomato sauce or brown butter sauce is most common, I wanted something even more decadent with a tomato cream sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Fun to make - Making homemade pasta might be some extra work but it's not only fun but satisfying to prepare. Your kids will love to help prepare it.
- Flavors - Lobster is a delicately flavored seafood that pairs well with various ingredients, especially a tomato cream sauce.
- Versatility - Lobster ravioli can be enjoyed as a main course or as part of a larger meal. It allows for flexibility in terms of portion sizes, accompaniments, and serving styles, making it adaptable to different dining preferences and occasions.
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Ingredients Notes
- Pasta - I personally love to make my own pasta which obviously takes some time but it is so worth it. Just flour, eggs, olive oil and salt.
- Lobster - Fresh tails are best, but frozen can be used as well.
- Butter - The base for not only the lobster mixture, but also the cream sauce.
- Cheese - You can't have ravioli without some ricotta but Parmesan is great for topping as well.
- Tomatoes - Complements the flavor of the lobster.
- Cream - Adds a richness to the sauce which enhances the flavor.
Ingredient Swaps
While this recipe is pretty perfect, you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I like homemade pasta, you can use wonton wrappers instead.
- Ricotta cheese is best for the filling but you can also use cottage or goat cheese.
- If you don't have shallots, sweet, white, yellow, or red onions will work too. They all high slightly different flavors.
- I like the added creaminess from heavy cream, but milk or half-and-half are good substitutes.
Homemade Pasta Step-by-Step Photos
While homemade pasta isn't necessary for this lobster ravioli, it really makes a difference. However if you want it to truly be homemade, you should take a stab at it. I used Anne Burrell's pasta dough.
Place flour on clean surface and make a hole large enough for the eggs, olive oil, salt and water. Beat together the wet mixture, while slowly incorporating the flour.
Once some of the flour has incorporated, start using your hands to get everything to combine. Once the dough hast started to come together, you'll knead for 10-15 minutes.
You know the pasta dough is done when it is velvety and smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap for an hour. Once ready, Take a quarter of the dough and flatten it. Set the pasta machine to the 1 setting and run the dough through.
Fold the dough in thirds so it is thin enough to run through machine. Repeat the process one more time. Now you want to run it through the 1 setting without folding. Switch to the 2nd setting and have the dough go through the machine again. Repeat with the 3rd, 4th and 5th settings. You now have your dough.
Lobster Ravioli Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Split lobster and brush with oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes. Chop meat. Brown butter in skillet for 4-5 minutes before adding pepper flakes and garlic, cooking 30 seconds.
Combine lobster, butter, ricotta, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat butter and olive oil in skillet before adding shallots. Cook for 5 minutes and then stir in garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.
Simmer tomatoes for 15 mins. Add cream, Parmesan, basil and parsley. Cook 10 more mins. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Prepare the sauce. Flour pasta mold and place sheet on top. Add filling to wells. Moisten edges, place second sheet on top. Seal with rolling pin and release ravioli from mold.
Arrange ravioli on lined sheet and cover with damp towel. Repeat. Boil salted water, cooking ravioli until they float (1-2 minutes). Remove and stir in tomato cream sauce.
FAQs
No, but it’s so worth the time it takes to make for this lobster ravioli. Believe me I was scared the first time I made it, but it’s surprisingly easy!
If however you don’t want to make dough, then just use the wonton wrapper method. You can use wonton wrappers and place the filling in before sealing it and boiling.
Yes you can. I just prefer baking it for added flavor. If boiling, you add 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of water and then boil for 1 minute per ounce. So if the tails are 4 oz, you should boil 4 minutes.
If the meat is white, then the lobster is cooked. If it is still translucent, then the lobster needs more time to finish cooking. You can also use an instant read thermometer and if it is 140°F, it is cooked.
Yes. If it is frozen tails, you need to thaw overnight in the fridge otherwise you'll have tough meat. If it is already cooked lobster, then you can skip the cooking step.
Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, it will foam up and then subside.
This is when you watch carefully as lightly browned specks will start to form at the bottom of the pan. You will know the butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma.
Once you've assembled the ravioli, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook, boil for an additional 1-2 minutes than the cooking time for fresh pasta or until the ravioli is floating.
Side Dish Options
Lobster ravioli is a very rich dish, so I prefer to have some veggies. Some options include:
- Roasted asparagus
- Sautéed sugar snap peas
- Roasted carrots and green beans
- Grilled zucchini
- Parmesan roasted Brussels sprouts
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan to finish the sauce. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Avoid overfilling the ravioli to ensure proper sealing.
- Use a ravioli press to get consistently sized ravioli.
- You know the lobster ravioli is done when it floats. Don't overcook it or the ravioli will fall apart and the filling will come out.
Other Pasta Recipes
If you’ve tried this lobster ravioli recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Lobster Ravioli
Ingredients
Fresh Pasta Dough
- 1 lb all-purpose flour
- 4 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lobster Filling
- 4 lobster tails
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb fresh pasta dough
Tomato Cream Sauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Fresh Pasta Dough
- Put the flour on a clean dry work surface. Make a hole in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide. The wall needs to be about 2 inches high. Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water.Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt.
- Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over the board. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture where it won’t go everywhere, start to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands.
- When the mixture has really come together, then you really start kneading. You will have to knead for 10-15 minutes, really putting your weight into it.When the dough is done, it will be smooth and velvety. Once a good consistency, wrap in saran wrap and let sit for 1 hour. Once the filling is ready, set up the pasta machine attachment on the stand mixer. Take a quarter of the dough and flatten it.
- Once the filling is ready, set up the pasta machine attachment on the stand mixer. Grab 1 ball of the dough and flatten it. Dust the dough with flour. Set the pasta machine to 1 and run the dough through. Fold the dough into thirds, making sure you thin in out again. Run through the machine, short end first. Fold into thirds again and run through the machine one more time. Now run through the 1 setting without folding the dough ahead of time. Switch to the 2nd setting and roll the dough through the machine again. Switch to the 3rd setting, run the dough through, then the 4th setting and then the 5th setting. The big thing is to make sure you flour the dough if it gets too sticky.
- Now heavily flour your pasta mold, otherwise it will stick when done! Lay one sheet of pasta on the mold and either use an egg to make a well or the plastic piece that comes with the mold to make the wells. Take 1 tablespoon of the filling and place it in each well. Use your fingers or a brush to dab some water along all of the edges of the ravioli. Lay a second sheet on top and run over with a rolling pin to seal. (Don't press too hard, other wise it could stick to mold) Turn mold over to release the ravioli. More than likely they won't be fully separated so use a pizza cutter to cut the rest. Line the ravioli on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat until all the ravioli is prepared. (You can freeze ravioli at this point. I usually freeze about half as there are only 2 of us)
Lobster Filling
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Split lobster tails in half lengthwise. With cut side up and using scissors, cut along the edge of shell to loosen the cartilage covering the tail meat from the shell; remove and discard cartilage. Brush with some olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until meat is firm and opaque. Remove the lobster meat from the shell, finely chop it and add to large bowl.
- In a large skillet, brown the butter over medium heat, stirring often until the butter is golden and has a nutty flavor, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook another 30 seconds. Remove the butter from the heat and add to the bowl with the lobster. Stir in the ricotta, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Set the filling aside.
Tomato Cream Sauce
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil for ravioli.
- Heat the butter and oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and cook on low for 15 minutes. Add the cream, Parmesan, parsley and basil and cook on low for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Boil the ravioli for about 1-2 minutes or until the float. Remove ravioli and stir in the tomato cream sauce. Top with some additional cheese and herbs if desired.
Notes
- If the meat is white, then the lobster is cooked. If it is still translucent, then the lobster needs more time to finish cooking. You can also use an instant read thermometer and if it is 140°F, it is cooked.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan to finish the sauce. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Avoid overfilling the ravioli to ensure proper sealing.
- Use a ravioli press to get consistently sized ravioli.
- You know the ravioli is done when it floats. Don't overcook it or the ravioli will fall apart and the filling will come out.
Kristi says
My friend came over yesterday and we spent the afternoon making this and a mushroom ravioli. We don’t have a pasta maker so I used a different pasta recipe, but the filling and sauce were outstanding. I want to try more of your recipes now!
Ryan says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mary says
What size lobster tails did you use? Did you use 4 as called for in the recipe?
Ryan says
Hey Mary, I tried emailing you but it didn't go through. I used four (4-5 oz) tails.
Mary says
Thank you! I'm going to make this for my daughter's 41st birthday dinner. Hopefully, she will love it since lobster is her favorite food (mine too). Sounds wonderful..fingers crossed!
Ryan says
Hope you enjoy!
Kathy says
Question - how many ravioli are considered a serving? How many people does this recipe serve?
Ryan says
I would say 6-8 as this is a rich and filling dish. So serves 4-6 people.
Susie says
Can you make the lobster filling ahead?
Ryan says
Yep up to a day!