Lobster Pasta Recipe

5 from 12 votes

Lobster pasta is a rich, creamy, and delicious seafood pasta dish with chunks of flavorful lobster meat and creamy Parmesan sauce. This recipe will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare and will make an exquisite dinner!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 1263kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

1/2 lb pasta like spaghetti, linguini, or bucatini
2 tbsp unsalted butter
12-14 oz lobster meat - claw meat, tail meat, or a mix of both*
pinch salt
pinch fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh minced tarragon
1-2 tsp fresh minced parsley
1 tbsp minced chives

Sauce:

4-5 garlic cloves
1/3 cup water reserved after cooking pasta
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp fresh minced tarragon
1 tsp fresh minced parsley
1 tbsp minced chives
salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare and measure out all of the ingredients before starting to cook, because it's a pretty quick recipe. Read through the instructions first as well!
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it well. Cook pasta in salted water according to the package instructions, strain, and set aside. Make sure to reserve at least a 1/3 cup of water after pasta is cooked, before straining.
Pro Tip: I always set a clean, empty measuring cup into the sink while pasta is cooking, so when I go to strain pasta, I will see it. This reminds me that I need to save the cooking water!
Preheat a large cooking pan over medium heat and when it's hot, add butter to the pan.
Add lobster meat to the pan along with some salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp. of tarragon, 1 tsp. of parsley, and 1 tbsp. of chives. Toss lobster meat with all the added ingredients and butter and cook it for just a minute or two, until it's hot.
Take the lobster meat out of the pan and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
Add minced garlic to the pan and let it sauté until fragrant.
Pour in reserved pasta cooking water and let it come to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low.
Stir in heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, herbs, pepper, and a little salt. Gently stir everything together and let it heat through. Taste to see if there is enough salt.
Add cooked pasta and toss to combine.
Mix in lobster meat and serve!

Video

Notes

Lobster Meat: You can get already cooked and shelled lobster meat at some grocery stores or cook your own. It will take 2 1.5-1.75 lb whole lobsters to get 12-14 oz of lobster meat. Of you can use 3-4 lobster tails (depending on the size).
Cream Substitution: Heavy whipping cream will give you the best rich and creamy consistency. If you have to, you can substitute half and half but I would not recommend using anything with less fat than that.
Lactose free – there is a great lactose free half and half option that I often use by Organic Valley brand. I works very well.
Milk Alternative – if you need to use an alternative to milk, use plant based butter (Green Valley Creamery is a personal favorite) and plant based heavy whipping cream. Plant based/vegan heavy whipping cream is harder to find and you have to make sure to get one that is meant for cooking not just making whipped cream
Gluten Free: All you have to do is use your favorite gluten free pasta to make this dish. All other ingredients are already gluten free but do double-check the labels to make sure.
Storing: Keep leftovers in an air-tight food storage container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days for best results.
Reheating: Warm it up in a pan on the stove, over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and adding a splash of milk. You will need to add some liquid because cooked pasta does soak up liquids when stored. Use milk, half and half, or some more heavy whipping cream when reheating the pasta.
Freezing? I DO NOT recommend freezing lobster pasta for a couple of reasons. Cream-based sauces don’t tend to hold up well in the freezer, and the meat will likely become mushy once thawed and reheated.

Nutrition