Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
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This is hands-down the best lobster ravioli with lemon butter sauce—and it only takes 20 minutes to pull off. Made with zesty lemon, nutty brown butter, and just five simple ingredients, this easy sauce is pure magic over lobster-stuffed pasta. It’s light but luxurious, with a silky richness that feels like a cream sauce, but isn’t!
If you love seafood, try this lobster bisque, seared scallops, and orzo pasta with shrimp next.
Quick Look: Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 4-6 people
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian (if made without Parmigiano cheese); can be made Gluten Free & Dairy Free
- Method: Stovetop
- Technique: Brown the lemon slices in butter, then add the garlic and brown. Add some reserved pasta water and simmer, then toss with ravioli and garnish with cheese and lemon zest.
- Flavor & Texture: This lobster ravioli is tender and flavorful with a super quick and easy sauce that’s creamy, nutty, and lemony.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Have you ever tasted lobster ravioli? If you haven’t, now is the time! You’ve seen it on the menu at Italian restaurants, and now you can make it right at home for a cozy date night or special occasion.
You will crave this simple sauce for lobster ravioli regularly! To make it easy, I use good-quality store-bought lobster ravioli.
This meal is both fancy and easy; you can make it at home in under 20 minutes! We sometimes make this on weekdays as a special treat. My children love it too!
If you’re a big lobster fan, try my baked lobster tails or lobster pasta with tomato and garlic. If you love the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter, then you’ve got to try my Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto, Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce, and Brown Butter Basil Pasta soon!
Made With AmorE,
“I just made this tonight with my homemade raw butter! We LOVED it! Simple recipe with the perfect combination of butter, garlic and lemon for the lobster ravioli! Yum!! Thank you!”
– Katie
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
- Lobster Ravioli: For this pasta sauce for lobster ravioli, you can use a refrigerated Maine lobster ravioli, like this one by Giovanni RANA. These are available in many grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Kroger in the refrigerated section. Another option is to make homemade ravioli instead.
- Butter: Like my lemon pasta sauce, the heart of the sauce is salted butter, so use a good quality kind like Kerrygold brand to level up your sauce! You can also use unsalted butter, but you may need to add a bit more salt to the dish.
- Lemon: This recipe uses freshly squeezed lemon juice and the zest. Zest it before juicing it for ease!
- Parmigiano Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano in Italian) brings a nutty and savory flavor to the sauce for lobster ravioli.
- Parsley: Use Italian parsley rather than curly parsley for a bit of fresh flavors and splash of color.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Add Protein: Add some grilled shrimp or sauteed shrimp and crab on top. You can even add some chunks of meat from freshly steamed lobster tails on top of the ravioli.
- Creamy Variation: If you want to make the sauce sauce extra creamy, you can add heavy cream towards the end of cooking.
- Different Ravioli Flavors: This sauce also works well for other stuffed ravioli such as spinach, butternut squash, and three cheese.
- Tortellini Version: Swap the ravioli for your favorite tortellini or make cheese tortellini in broth and or the Italian Christmas Eve traditional dish, tortellini in brodo.
How to Make Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
This delicious garlic butter sauce for lobster ravioli is both fresh from the lemon and rich from the brown butter. It’s the perfect sauce for lobster ravioli!
- Brown the lemon slices on both sides with butter in a skillet. This will release a little lemon flavor into the butter sauce. Remove the lemons from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter. When the butter begins bubbling slightly, add minced garlic and stir. Stir the butter until the fat solids start to brown a little; this will take a few minutes. Make sure not to burn the butter.
- Add ½ cup of the pasta water and let the sauce cook for an additional minute, or until a velvety sauce forms.
- Boil a large pot of salted water, then add ravioli and cook until al dente. (Follow the package instructions and learn more about how to cook ravioli pasta in my guide!) Add the ravioli to the pan using a slotted spoon, and stir gently to combine.
- Top with freshly grated parmigiano, parsley, and lemon zest, as desired.
- Serve with charred lemon on the side of the plate. Mangia! (eat)
Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce FAQs
The best sauce for lobster ravioli is typically a cream or a plain or browned butter pasta sauce. The sauce should be subtle yet flavorful to complement the lobster.
Absolutely! Frozen lobster ravioli works beautifully and is a great option when fresh isn’t available. Thaw and cook it according to the package directions, being careful not to overcook it since stuffed pasta is delicate.
The key is to cook the ravioli just until al dente, and handle it gently. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ravioli directly from the boiling water into the sauce instead of draining it in a colander. This helps protect the delicate pasta.
This dish is truly best served freshly made. If you happen to have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. You may need to add a bit more butter or liquid to loosen it up. I do not recommend freezing leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
Plan out a full meal by adding a variety of side dishes to serve with lobster ravioli. You will definitely want to serve some delicious homemade bread to soak up the sauce! We love this no knead ciabatta bread, easy homemade focaccia, or a soft Italian bread.
For a full meal, start things off with these Italian zucchini fritters as an appetizer. Pair the main meal with a salad like this pear gorgonzola salad, or roasted fennel if you prefer a warm side dish for your meal. For dessert, end on a lighter note with my tangy no bake frozen lemon bars.
If you need more meal planning ideas, check out my collection of the best side dishes for ravioli!
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- For the finest texture, use a microplane for grating the cheese and the lemon zest. This way it blends into the sauce well. For the best flavor and texture, grate your cheese from the block.
- Use good-quality ravioli. I highly recommend Giovanni Rana or any locally made lobster ravioli.
- Avoid burning your butter. Make sure to brown butter over medium heat and don’t step away for even a second. It takes no time to go from brown to burnt butter. Keep an eye on it.
- Use a light-colored pan. This makes it much easier to notice when the butter begins to brown.
More Seafood Pasta Recipes
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Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 13-ounce package lobster ravioli
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 medium lemon, cut into ½-inch slices
- Reserved pasta water from cooking
- ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese
- 1 lemon, zest only, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron pan or other large saucepan on medium high heat. Once the butter is melted add the lemon and cook until brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove lemons from pan and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. Cook the ravioli until al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining butter. When the butter starts to bubble slightly- add the garlic. Stir the butter until the fat solids start to brown a little- a few of minutes. Make sure not to burn the butter.
- Drain the ravioli, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta water to the pan and let simmer until shiny sauce forms, about 1 minute.
- Add the ravioli to the pan and stir gently to combine. Top with freshly grated parmigiano and lemon zest, if desired. Serve with charred lemon on the side of the plate. Mangia! (Eat!)
Notes
- For the finest texture, use a microplane for grating the cheese and the lemon zest. This way it blends into the sauce well. For the best flavor and texture, grate your cheese from the block.
- Use good-quality ravioli. I highly recommend Giovanni RANA or any locally made lobster ravioli. Another option is to make homemade ravioli instead.
- Avoid burning your butter. Make sure to brown butter over medium heat and don’t step away for even a second. It takes no time to go from brown to burnt butter. Keep an eye on it.
- Use a light-colored pan. This makes it much easier to notice when the butter begins to brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made this tonight with my homemade raw butter! We LOVED it! Simple recipe with the perfect combination of butter, garlic and lemon for the lobster ravioli! Yum!! Thank you!
Wow! The homemade butter must have taken this over the top! I am happy you loved this yummy recipe. Here’s to many more!
This is a wonderful go-to special recipe for Sunday night. I like to create something fun on Sunday night, and this recipe does the trick. The charred lemon is delicious. I toss in fresh thyme and sage from the garden to the final sauce.
I really appreciate this simple yet captivating recipe. My wife also loves it!
I am thrilled you love it! Love the addition of thyme and sage from the garden! Enjoy.
I used this today for my ravioli and it was so good! I kept looking at sauce recipes and they all had heavy cream, which is too much with lobster ravioli. This was so tasty and easy to make. One thing I changed was instead of zesting the lemon on top, I squeezed some fresh lemon juice into the pan after adding the ravioli and it came out very citrusy and light.
Yes! I love that it still remains light and lets the lobster ravioli shine! Love the lemon juice.
Delicious and easy! Thank you Elena for sharing. Love getting the chance to try new recipes.
Happy you loved it!
Delish!! I used a stick of butter and 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese and a little moe pasta water. My husband usually hates lemon, but the lemon comes through softly and the sauce helps maintain the lobster flavor. If you close your eyes, you get the taste of a steamed lobsterโฆwonderful recipe.
Thanks! Marianne Franklin
YAY! Thrilled he loved it with the lemon. It’s a yummy one.
I want to make this for Christmas Eve dinner. I have 7 people and want to make sure I have enough lobster ravioli. I have 8 pks of 13 oz each (the Costco double pack)
Not sure how much to make . Would I triple the recipe? Thank you!
Hi! Depends on how much your people eat. Plan on 80-100 gr pasta per person, but if you have sides and dessert maybe less? I hope that helps!
We made this meal twice last week and everyone wanted more!
This makes a great recipe for a date night!