Creamy Garlic Lobster Ravioli Sauce
While pondering (years ago) what sauce would be best suited to a package of store bought lobster ravioli, many options floated through my head.
Did I want my lobster ravioli with tomato sauce? But, then do I go with marinara sauce? Arrabbiata? Bolognese sauce? It may pair well with a vodka sauce or a pink sauce (cream added to red sauce) or maybe a brown butter sauce. There were so many options. Too many options!
I was thinking a creamy sauce was the way to go, like in this mushroom lasagna, since there is always room for another heavy cream sauce recipe on my blog. But, did I make an alfredo sauce similar to the one in this tortellini alla panna?
I decided to go for a rich garlic butter sauce made with tender fennel. It was the perfect choice. It’s a delicious homemade sauce.
Lobster Ravioli Sauce Recipe
If you have never had ravioli before, I recommend getting some asap (even if it’s not lobster flavored). They are big squares of pasta that get stuffed full of a variety of fillings. It’s often served at Italian restaurants.
You are not confined to using lobster ravioli for this recipe, switch it out for butternut squash ravioli, 4-cheese ravioli, or wild mushroom. Pretty much any ravioli would taste good with this garlic cream sauce.
You can even make your own homemade lobster ravioli if you have the time for that kind of thing. I don’t have time to make homemade ravioli, so I get mine at nearby grocery stores, Whole Foods, Costco or use Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli.
Be forewarned, most kids may not like lobster pasta.
Why we Love this Lobster Ravioli with Cream Sauce
I mean what’s not to love about lobster ravioli? Well, here are a few reasons we like to make this dinner recipe.
- Makes a fancy meal. This recipe is great for a stay at home date night because lobster is fancy. You may amaze yourself because this tastes like food you would get in a restaurant.
- Easy lobster ravioli recipe. Such a simple recipe, just a few easy ingredients and steps. Just cook the pasta according to the package directions and whip up the sauce.
- Quick cooking food. This meal seriously comes together quickly, you will be eating in no time!
- Delicious lobster cream sauce. This sauce is full of flavor, if you love fennel you will love this sauce for lobster ravioli.
What does Fennel Taste Like?
Fennel, or finocchio in Italian, is a perennial herb that actually belongs to the carrot family. You can use the leaves and seeds in various recipes. The seeds and stalk have the faint flavor of licorice or anise, but when the bulb is cooked it becomes very sweet and doesn’t taste licorice-y at all.
How to Cut Fennel
There are three parts to the fennel plant. The bulb, the celery-like stalk, and the leaves/flowers. The part we are using here is the bulb of the fennel not any other part. When getting fennel at the store you want it to be nice and white and firm. This is how to slice fennel.
If there are any rust colored spots just cut them off with a knife. You could remove the outer leave but you would lose a big portion of the your fennel. Cut off the root end and then cut the bulb into quarters. Using a pairing knife, cut out the core from each piece. Stand each piece on its side and cut into very thin slices using a sharp knife or mandolin.
You want the pieces to be about 2 inches at the longest, so you have some larger pieces just cut them down a bit.
What goes well with Lobster Ravioli
The best side dishes to serve with ravioli would be a great veggie like roasted asparagus, zucchini and squash, broccoli with parmesan or just a fresh salad. Of course, you will need either Italian or French bread to dunk in the sauce and a glass of white wine. You can even make your own homemade bread or just make this easy stuffed cheesy garlic bread.
What Sauce to Serve with Lobster Ravioli?
While there are many, many options available for sauce recipes to make for lobster ravioli, I opted for a cream based sauce made with fennel. The light fennel flavor pairs nicely with the sweet lobster, making it an awesome dinner idea. I think it’s the best sauce for this pasta.
Lobster Ravioli Sauce Ingredients
- Lobster Ravioli: Store bought or homemade ravioli will work for this recipe.
- Salt: Needed to salt the water and season the completed dish.
- Pasta Water: Don’t forget to retain 1/2-1 cup of pasta water to mix with the sauce if needed.
- Butter: Unsalted butter (or extra virgin olive oil) is used to sauté the onions and the fennel. And you will also need more for the sauce.
- Onion: You will need 1/2 cup of finely diced onion or a very small yellow onion or white onion.
- Fennel: This recipe requires a fresh fennel bulb, you can not substitute this ingredient. We will be using half of the bulb.
- Heavy Cream: Gives the sauce its extra creamy texture. Half and half can also be used.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper to season.
How to Make Sauce for Lobster Ravioli
Here is the delicious recipe for fennel sauce. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for full instructions. top with rub smoker 225 degrees 2 1/2 hours
- Melt part of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and thinly sliced fennel, cook until softened.
- Add the heavy cream and butter, once the butter is melted add in the minced garlic.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, cook until it has thickened slightly, about a minute. Remove from heat.
- Season with salt and pepper. Set aside while pasta is cooking.
How to Cook Lobster Ravioli
This is an easy recipe that makes a delicious dinner. Here is basically how to cook Costco lobster ravioli with white sauce (Rana Maine lobster ravioli). Cook the ravioli according to the package directions.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add in salt. Make the sauce above while the water is boiling.
- To the large pot of salted water, gently add in ravioli.
- Cook for just 4 minutes for fresh ravioli. Frozen ravioli may take 10-12 minutes to be cooked through.
- Reserve 1/2 – 1 cup of pasta water to mix with the sauce to thin it a little. Mix sauce with the pasta.
- On top of the cooked ravioli, add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, finely chopped fresh parsley, and a little lemon zest (if desired).
Lobster Ravioli Sauce Recipe Tips & Variations
- Add some heat. Sprinkle on some red pepper flakes to the final dish to add some spicy flavor.
- Strain sauce. If you don’t want pieces of fennel or onion in the sauce you can strain it, but I think those pieces add texture and flavor so I keep them in there.
- Fresh nutmeg. You can grate nutmeg over the cooked pasta.
- Half and half. To cut down on calories, feel free to use half and half instead of heavy cream. The sauce will be lighter, not as rich and heavy.
- Extra lobster flavor. Some recipes have you cook the sauce with lobster tails or add lobster meat to the sauce. You can try those also.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sauce goes on lobster ravioli? All sauces go well with lobster ravioli, but I chose to go with a white sauce with fennel.
Calories in lobster ravioli with cream sauce? This ravioli recipe is a bit higher in calories. It is estimated at about 670 calories per serving, but that will vary with the use of different ingredients.
Storage Instructions
How to refrigerate leftover ravioli? Let the ravioli cool and put in an airtight container. It should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat lobster ravioli? For pasta that has sauce on it, bring a few tablespoons of water, chicken broth or chicken stock to a simmer in a low sauce pan that has a tight fitting lid. Add in the pasta and cook for about 30 seconds, stir. Repeat this process until pasta is heated through. Or zap it in the microwave (will dry out pasta) for about 1 minute, stir then cook for about 15 seconds at a time until heated.
Can you freeze lobster ravioli? I don’t recommend freezing this recipe due to the cream sauce.
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Lobster Ravioli with Fennel Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salt, for water
- 5 tablespoons butter, unsalted, divided
- 1 cup fennel bulb, 1/2 bulb thinly sliced, 1-2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- 13 ounces lobster ravioli
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add in about 1 tablespoon salt.
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While water is coming to a boil, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and thinly sliced fennel, cook until softened about 8-10 minutes. Add more butter if needed so the veggies don't burn.
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Add the heavy cream and 3 tablespoons butter, once the butter is melted add in the minced garlic. Bring mixture to a simmer, cook until it has thickened slightly, about a minute. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside while pasta is cooking.
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To the large pot of salted water, gently add in ravioli. Cook for just 4 minutes for fresh ravioli. Frozen ravioli may take 10-12 minutes to be cooked through.
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Reserve 1/2 – 1 cup of pasta water to mix with the sauce to thin it a little. Drain pasta.
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In a small bowl, mix the sauce with pasta water to thin it a little. Mix sauce with the pasta. On top of the cooked ravioli, add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, finely chopped fresh parsley, and a little lemon zest (if desired).
Recipe Notes
- Add some heat. Sprinkle on some red pepper flakes to the final dish to add some spicy flavor.
- Strain sauce. If you don’t want pieces of fennel or onion in the sauce you can strain it, but I think those pieces add texture and flavor so I keep them in there.
- Fresh nutmeg. You can grate nutmeg over the cooked pasta.
- Half and half. To cut down on calories, feel free to use half and half instead of heavy cream. The sauce will be lighter, not as rich and heavy.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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