Lobster Pappardelle Pasta with Champagne Cream Sauce

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

It’s hard to beat lobster as one of the most delectable and fancy proteins! Often, lobster is cooked in an old-fashioned and, in our opinion, quite boring way. Don't get me wrong, a lobster boil is still amazing but that is mainly because lobster is so good! But there are ways to ramp it up and we have three ways to make lobster even better, all in this dish! This lobster pappardelle pasta has tender bites of butter poached lobster tails, an amazing and equally sexy champagne cream sauce with an easy-to-make, silky homemade pasta.

Lobster Pappardelle Pasta with Champagne Cream Sauce

This lobster dinner for two is the perfect pasta dish for a romantic date night or special occasion! Whether you make this for Valentine’s Day, your loved one’s birthday, or an anniversary, this lobster pasta is sure to impress! Even better this is actually a very easy seafood pasta recipe and is very approachable for even the most novice of home cooks.

Looking for more great romantic dinner ideas? Check out our Lobster Ravioli recipe or our One Pan Ribeye Mushroom and Onion Skillet.

More Irresistible Pasta Sauces

We love a creamy pasta sauce, and here are a few more you should try: Hen of the Woods Pasta with Creamy Tarragon Sauce, or this recipe for Fettuccine with Winter Spiced Cream Cream Sauce and Rosemary Sage Meatballs.

Jump to:

Ways to Cook Lobster Tails

To achieve what we are going for here, there are two great ways to go about cooking lobster tails. If you have a sous vide circulator, that is simple and yields a beautiful lobster. If you don’t, then poaching in butter with some water added is perfect. We will focus on butter poaching the lobster tails for this recipe, as everyone has a pot to cook lobster tails in! There are other ways to cook lobster as well that still work, such as roasting, grilling, steaming, and as a last resort, boiling.

Butter Poached Lobster Tails

Poaching is a gentle cooking method that refers to submerging your food in a liquid and cooking it just below the boiling point. This gentle cooking method is perfect for seafood (see our Poached Halibut or Butter Poach Shrimp recipes for more seafood poaching options).

Butter poaching incorporates butter into the poaching liquid. We use a combination of water, white wine and butter in this recipe which adds tons of flavor. Adding butter to the poaching liquid gives the lobster a nice buttery flavor that is unbeatable! See the instructions section or the recipe card below for details on how to butter poach lobster tails for this pasta recipe.

Sous Vide Buttery Lobster

We also recommend cooking your lobster tails sous vide if you have a sous vide circulator. Sous vide is a French cooking method in which food is vacuum sealed in bags and submerged in water and cooked at a constant temperature. The sous vide method of cooking gently and evenly cooks food to the perfect temperature since the water around the food is heated to the exact internal temperature of your food. This results in perfect doneness and often more tender proteins.

For cooking lobster tails sous vide, we add butter, herbs and seasoning to the vacuum sealed bag with the lobster tails and set the sous vide circulator to heat the water to 139°F. The lobster tail meat cooks sous vide at this temperature for 40-45 minutes. Once they are done, we remove the lobster tails from the bags and cut them into bite-sized pieces to add to the pasta.

try it out!

Garlic Butter Herb Sous Vide Lobster with Lemon Beurre Blanc

Sous vide lobster tails are tender and juicy and perfectly cooked every time!

Get the recipe →

Cooking Whole Live Lobsters

Our goal was to make this easy and approachable, and also not too expensive! Small lobster tails (4-6 oz each) are actually very affordable at the grocery store (about $8-10 per tail) making this entire dish very inexpensive despite how elevated and fancy it seems.

But if you want to go all out and buy a whole live lobster, you do you! If cooking a whole lobster, you will want to boil for 9-10 minutes for a 2-lb lobster. Here's a tip on cooking lobster in boiling water: 6-7 minutes for the first pound, +3 minutes for each pound thereafter. Then into an ice bath to stop the cooking or serve immediately. So, a 5-lb whole lobster will take 18-19 minutes total.

Ingredients

This creamy and buttery lobster pasta dish is made with the following ingredients:

Lobster Poaching Ingredients

Lobster Tails: Any kind will work so use what you can find. Even pre-frozen warm water lobster tails yield a beautiful dish. If you live where fresh lobster is caught, this is even better! We use raw lobster for this recipe, but if you find a good pre-cooked lobster meat that you like, then you can simply cut it into bite-size pieces and add it straight to your pasta dish.
Kosher Salt
Butter: A lot of unsalted butter is used here, but like poaching proteins in oil, the fat doesn’t leech into the lobster. The butter poaching gives the lobster a flavor and texture that is hard to beat.
Thyme: This is a subtle but nice addition to the poaching liquid.
White Wine: Just a little dry white wine in the poaching liquid adds an even better flavor to the lobster meat. We like to use a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc here, but any dry white wine will work.

Champagne Cream Sauce and Pasta Ingredients

Olive Oil: An olive oil you generally use for cooking is perfect. We like this one.
Shallot: Shallots have a nice subtle onion flavor that makes a nice base for the cream sauce.
Champagne, Prosecco or any sparkling wine: The key here is to use a sparkling wine that is “Extra Dry.” This type of sparkling wine has a better residual flavor and more of it than Brut or Blanc de Blanc. Prosecco is also perfectly dry for making this sauce. You don't need to break the bank with a pricey champagne here, anything that is drinkable in the under $20 range will work great - and you can enjoy the extra with dinner.
Pink Peppercorns: Although the name is pepper and they look like peppercorns, this fruity and pungent spice is actually not pepper, but related to the cashew. The flavor of ground pink peppercorns is incredible in many dishes, especially this sauce.
Grapefruit Zest: The grapefruit citrus notes complements the other ingredients in this sauce. This is another sauce addition that adds a subtle but amazing flavor.
Nutmeg: Nutmeg is often a secret ingredient added to cream sauces in Italy. You wouldn’t know it was in here, but it is definitely better with it. Fresh grated is best!
Champagne Vinegar: Just a touch as well really wakes up the sauce and brightens the flavors.
Heavy Cream: Cream is the foundation of the sauce!
Pasta: We suggest pappardelle because the nice wide noodles get coated with the creamy sauce, but any somewhat wide, long noodle will do. Even linguine or spaghetti will work here though. Use your favorite pasta shape.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a few common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

Pink Pepper: If you have a tree nut allergy, definitely replace this with green pepper. You can also use white or black peppercorns, but green peppercorns have a better flavor.
Grapefruit Zest: Lemon, lime, bergamot, and other citrus work well here also. Orange citrus and other fruits in that family are a little too sweet for our liking, but you can use them if you prefer a sweeter sauce.
Lobster: Shrimp can replace lobster in this recipe as well. You could also sear some scallops and add them to the pasta if you prefer.
Shallot: You can always use about 3 tablespoons of sweet yellow onion in place of shallot for a somewhat similar flavor profile.
Champagne: You can replace the champagne with another dry sparkling wine or Prosecco. Or you can opt to use the same dry white wine that you use for the poaching liquid in the sauce.

How to Make Lobster Pappardelle Pasta with Champagne Cream Sauce

Whether you plan to make homemade pasta from scratch, or you bought pasta from the store, this recipe is quite simple to make. The cooking time on the lobster is quite short, so we like to get everything prepared and ready to go with the lobster, set it aside and make the sauce first before poaching the lobster. Keep your sauce warm on low while you poach your lobster and cook your pasta.

Assuming fresh pasta is being used, once the lobster poaches, we cut it and immediately drop in the pasta. It’s all added to the sauce in minutes and served!

Equipment

There is really no need for special equipment for this dish. A few recommendations:

A large pot to boil the water for the pasta
A large, somewhat deep sauté pan or large skillet for the sauce as you will combine the entire dish in here at the end
A small saucepan that fit the lobster tails somewhat snugly

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep

We suggest preparing all the ingredients for the poaching liquid first, cutting the butter into pieces, getting the thyme sprig ready and removing the tails from the lobster shells. Also, start to boil a large pot of salted water on medium to save time when transitioning to cooking the pappardelle.

Step 2: Make the Lobster Cream Sauce

Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat, then adding the shallots and cooking until translucent. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat and add the champagne, pepper, grapefruit zest, and some kosher salt. Cook and reduce until there is very little liquid left (about 1-2 tbsp) then turn the heat down to medium and stir in the cream, nutmeg, and champagne vinegar. Cook over medium heat until the cream sauce has thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. Once the creamy sauce is at the desired consistency (it should be slightly thickened and coat the back of a spoon), turn to low and keep warm while you poach your lobster tails.

Step 3: Poach the Lobster

Season the lobster with some kosher salt. Warm the water and white wine in the poaching saucepan. Add the thyme and, while on low to medium low (175° is perfect), whisk in the butter, 2 tablespoons of butter at a time, until all the butter is incorporated and melted. Keeping the temperature between 165° and 185° (just below boiling), place the lobsters in the saucepan. If the lobsters aren’t submerged completely, baste them by spooning the butter mixture over them several times for 3 minutes, then flip them and do the same. If they are submerged, skip the basting step. They should be cooked after 6 minutes, take an internal temperature to be sure they are between 138°-142°. Remove and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Step 4: Make the Pasta

While your lobster is poaching, make your pasta. Add the pappardelle pasta to the salted boiling water. Fresh pasta will only take about 2 minutes to cook to al dente. For store-bought dried pasta, follow the package instructions to cook to al dente. Once done, remove the cooked pasta from the pot and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Add the bites of lobster and combine. Serve garnished with some fresh parsley, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or grapefruit juice, and a pinch of ground pink peppercorns.

Variations

Here are a few fun ways to change up this creamy lobster pasta dish:

You can use shrimp or scallops instead of lobster. If you can't find lobster tails, shrimp, prawns or scallops work great here and taste amazing in the champagne sauce. Honestly the sauce is great with chicken too!
Use a different citrus or a different type of pepper to change the flavor
Many pasta shapes work here, so use your favorite shape
Make it spicy! Add some crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce to give it a bit of a kick if you like spicy food.

Storage

How to store leftover lobster pasta in the fridge:

If you have leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. It is highly recommended you eat this dish fresh the day you make it though as that is when it will taste the best and have the best consistency.

How to reheat lobster pasta:

If you want to reheat refrigerated lobster pasta, do so slowly in a skillet over low heat. You may have to add some liquid (a bit of water or cream) as it will have dried out some.

Can you freeze lobster pasta?

We DO NOT recommend this. Most lobster tails that are available in grocery stores are pre-frozen. You never want to refreeze previously frozen lobster, or other pre-froven then thawed meats in general. If you have fresh, never frozen lobster, you can freeze it raw or cook it and freeze it and use within 5 months.

Do you have leftover lobster meat and you are looking for leftover lobster recipes?? Use it to make homemade Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce!

Top tips

If using 4-8 oz lobster tails, it is easy to remove them from the shell in a raw state (not frozen of course). Some people recommend blanching the tails to make it easier, but this isn’t necessary. Just cut the soft bottom part of the tail with the legs off and use your fingers and thumb to gently pry the meat from the shell. Pop it out and you’re there!
Rapid boiling of any cream sauce will sabotage the melding of flavors. Although this takes less time to reduce, it will not taste as good as if you gently reduce the sauce. The payoff for patience is flavor!

Troubleshooting

If your cream sauce takes time to reduce to the consistency you like, that’s OK, be patient! It takes time to do it right. And this dish is quite easy to make, so pour a glass of wine and enjoy the process!

Cream sauce too thin? Keep reducing! If your sauce seems thinner than you would prefer, then it needs a bit more time to reduce. You can turn the heat up slightly to help with this process. Once you add the pasta, the sauce will thicken a bit from the starch in the pasta.

Cream sauce too thick? If you cream sauce is too thick, simply add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to the sauce to thin it out at the end.

What to make with Lobster Pappardelle Pasta

Since you are likely making this dish for a special occasion, then go all out with a multi-course meal! Here are some appetizers and desserts that would be great to serve with this pasta dish:

Want to level up this lobster pasta recipe?

Make it with homemade pasta from scratch!

Follow our recipes for Homemade Pasta for a truly unique experience! And don’t worry, homemade pasta isn’t difficult to make at all, and is absolutely worth it!

Do you want to make this a steak and lobster dinner? Make a smaller half portion of this recipe and serve this lobster pasta as a side dish to a beautiful steak like this One Pan Ribeye Mushroom and Onion Skillet for two.

Check out more of our lobster and shrimp pasta dishes:

What wines pair with lobster pasta?

Are you wondering about the best wines to serve with lobster? Here is what we recommend:

This is a quite easy pairing - use the sparkling wine you used in the sauce! You could also use a nicer bottle as champagne and sparkling wine works perfectly as a pairing with this dish. Other white wines work well also, especially chardonnay with its buttery notes, or sauvignon blanc that is citrus forward and has notes of grapefruit.

Looking for more Italian recipes?

If you want more Italian recipes, you can find our versions of the classics under Classic Italian Recipes.

We also have a cookbook, Mangiamo, with 60 incredibly delicious Italian recipes, and Italian-inspired recipes.

FAQ

How long does cooked lobster last?

Leftover cooked lobster lasts for about 3 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container.

How do you know when lobster is done?

Your best bet is to check the internal temperature: 138-142° is optimal for cooked lobster. The lobster meat should be an opaque white color when cooked through with a slightly firm yet tender texture.

What sauce goes best with lobster?

Cream sauces and butter sauces are perfect pairings with lobster. Melted butter with a squeeze of lemon is the easiest "sauce" for lobster! A sauce that is delicate and not overpowering is best so that you can taste the flavor of the lobster.

Looking for other seafood recipes like this? Try these:

See more Seafood →

Pairing

These are my favorite date night cocktails to serve with this lobster pasta dish:

📖 Recipe