This restaurant-quality creamy lobster pasta is made with real lobster and silky blush cream sauce, but ready in under 30 minutes, making it ideal for date night, special occasions and entertaining.
Grab This At The Store!
This is a simple sauce, but lends itself to SO many variations! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Pasta– Feel free to use your favorite type of pasta, but cream sauces tend to grip well to long, thin pasta shapes like spaghetti, fettuccine and linguine or something that has ridges. While angel hair (cappellini) is one of my favorites, this sauce it a little too heavy for the delicate weight.
- Lobster Meat– Meat from any part of the lobster can be used from claw, tail and knuckles. Fresh lobster will always have the best texture, but frozen is also an option as long as it defrosts and is cooked gently to avoid getting tough. Other types of seafood like shrimp or langostinos can also be used.
- Roast Tomatoes– I like to roast tomatoes at home, but they can commonly be found in the olive bar section or sometimes jarred with Italian food. Consider using sun-dried tomatoes if you don’t feel like making your own or can’t find them.
- Reserved Pasta Water– Can we discuss how many times I’ve forgotten to reserve the pasta water? Don’t fret! Pasta water is ideal because it helps thin the heavy creamy sauce, but is also seasoned and starchy and helps to emulsify. If you forget, mix 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch or flour with 1 cup of water and add a pinch of salt. Also consider using white wine.
- Butter
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Half & Half
- Tomato Paste
- Parmesan cheese
- Flat leaf parsley
- Coarse sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Lemon zest
- Scallions
Best Lobster for Pasta (Fresh vs Frozen)
For the best lobster for pasta, choose between pre-picked claw/knuckle meat for speed, meaty lobster tails for chunky bites, or steam a whole lobster for maximum flavor. Sometimes I also grab smaller lobster tails on sale and use 4-5 of these. Check out my guide to steaming lobster and shelling lobster if you are grabbing them whole. This step can be done ahead of time.
If using frozen cooked lobster, thaw overnight in the refrigerator on a rack set over a pan to keep it out of its liquid; then pat the meat very dry so the creamy rose sauce won’t turn watery. Gently warm the lobster in the sauce right at the end to keep it tender, it will get rubbery fast if overheated.
Leftover lobster is another option. This can be added right at the end and gently heated to avoid unsightly texture issues too.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – I use unsalted butter to control the salt content. I like to add coarse sea salt to bring out the other flavors of the dish.
- Seasonings – Try adding red pepper flakes or calabrian chile oil for some heat. You can also add fresh herbs like tarragon, basil or oregano.
- Sauces – Try adding more lemon zest or even lemon juice for a bolder lemon flavor in this sauce.
- Swaps – You can swap the lobster meat for another type of seafood like shrimp or crab. You could even swap it for chicken if you’d like.
- Senses – Rich and indulgent, creamy lobster pasta twirls tender noodles in velvety sauce, bursts with sweet, buttery lobster, and fills the air with an irresistible ocean-kissed aroma.
Make it A Meal
I love serving any type of pasta with a fresh salad. A simple side salad would be perfect, or you can always make a caesar salad with homemade croutons too! And a nice crusty bread to soak up the rest of the decadent sauce is always a good idea. Try cheesy garlic bread or garlic knots.
When serving a heavy pasta for dinner, I like to finish it off with something light and citrusy. Lemon bars or lemon almond loaf would be the perfect ending to a delicious dinner.
Creamy Lobster Pasta Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound favorite pasta , cooked al dente and hot
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound raw lobster meat*
- 1/3 cup red onion , minced
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese , freshly shredded
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley , chopped
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 1 cup roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons scallions , chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the box instructions using very liberally salted water. Right before straining, reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water.
- In a large skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium heat. When melted, add the chopped 1 pound raw lobster meat*. Cook until translucent, approximately 2-3 minutes, then remove from the skillet using a slotted spoon. Set aside. If using cooked lobster, skip adding the lobster, just melt the butter and move to step #3.
- With the butter still in the pan, add the minced 1/3 cup red onion, sauteing for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the minced 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, cooking another 1 minute.
- Stir in the 1 1/2 cups half & half, 1/4 cup tomato paste and the reserved pasta water** until the tomato paste is incorporated into the half mixture and it starts to form small bubbles.
- Stir in the 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low or turn off (depending on the strength of the burner). Stir in the chopped 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley , 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper , 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 lemon), 1 cup roasted tomatoes and cooked lobster meat. Toss to coat and combine.
- Add the cooked 1 pound favorite pasta, tossing to coat in the sauce.
- Sprinkle with the chopped 2 tablespoons scallions and serve immediately.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
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