Lobster Ravioli and Vodka Cream Sauce

If you're looking for something extra special to serve for guests or a romantic night in then this Lobster Ravioli Recipe is exactly what you need! Silky soft homemade ravioli with made with a simple yet elegant filling and tossed with a creamy tomato vodka sauce!

Homemade ravioli is one of those things that requires a lot of prep work but is SO worth the effort.

If you're looking for a way to impress your guests then you can't beat a bowl of silky homemade pasta filled with a beautiful filling and tossed in a flavour packed sauce, right?

We mean, our Mushroom Ravioli is without a doubt one of the most popular recipes on our site despite the longer than average prep time (compared to our other recipes).

It gets rave reviews and with good reason it is good! That's why we're so excited to share this extra fancy lobster ravioli recipe with you.

Top Tip: Before starting check out our Ultimate Guide to Making Homemade Ravioli for full details on the best tools and equipment and how to fill and seal ravioli.

Ingredients for the filling

Other than lobster there are only a few simple ingredients needed to make the filling. See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

• Ricotta cheese – use full fat and high quality ricotta
• Sun-dried tomatoes – jarred in sunflower or olive oil preferably with a mix of dried herbs for extra flavour
• Lemon zest – adds freshness
• Parsley – use fresh and not dried

Ingredients for the Lobster Ravioli Sauce (Vodka Cream Sauce)

The sauce is good! It's the same sauce we use in our Penne alla Vodka recipe minus the pancetta.

It's made with sieved tomatoes (passata) a small amount of cream, shallots, garlic and vodka. We mean, you cannot go wrong with this sauce!

You can make the sauce in advance and reheat it when you're ready to serve the lobster ravioli.

See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

How to make Lobster Ravioli – step by step

First of all, you need 1 batch of pasta dough follow the process in our step by step guide for making homemade pasta dough.

As the pasta dough is resting make the filling.

Blitz the ricotta and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor until smooth and creamy (there might still be small chunks of tomato but that's ok) (photos 1 & 2).

Add the parsley and lemon zest and pulse until combined then transfer to a bowl and set aside (photos 3 & 4).

Cook the lobster tails in boiling water for around 7-8 minutes (they'll turn bright red) (photos 5 & 6).

Set the lobster aside until cool enough to touch then cut it in half and remove the meat (photos 7-10).

Finely chop the lobster meat then add it to a bowl with the rest of the ricotta filling mixture (photos 11-13).

Roll out the pasta using a pasta machine and fill to make ravioli using your prefered method (we love to use a ravioli maker but check out this guide for full instructions and other methods).

How to make the sauce

Add finely chopped shallots and garlic to a skillet/frying pan with a little olive oil and saute until soft but not browned (photo 14).

Next, add the sieved tomatoes and simmer gently for 5 minutes (photos 15 & 16).

Add the vodka, stir and simmer the sauce for around 7-8 minutes to cook out the alcohol, season with salt and pepper (photos 17 & 18).

Add the cream and parsley and stir into the sauce and simmer for another 1-2 minutes (photo 21).

When the sauce is ready bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli for around 3-4 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the sauce, toss gently to coat in the sauce and serve (photo 22).

Top tips and recipe FAQs

• Pasta dough – Follow this recipe for making Homemade Pasta Dough it's the recipe we use every time!
• You'll find our Ultimate Guide to Homemade Ravioli helpful when it comes to filling and sealing the ravioli.
• Cooking the lobster – Make sure the lobster has cooled completely before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.
• The sauce – You'll probably need to thin out the sauce with some pasta water so if you're making it advance wait until you are cooking the ravioli to thin it out.
• Preparing in advance – If you're making the ravioli only a few hours in advance thensit them in plenty semolina flour and cover with a dishcloth to stop them drying out too much.
• You can make the sauce in advance to speed things up!
• You can make the filling in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
• Draining the pasta – Always transfer the ravioli to the sauce with a slotting spoon instead of draining them in a colander. They're delicate and might burst if you do. PLUS any extra pasta water will add flavour and help emulsify the sauce.

What's the best type of lobster to use?

The ravioli filling is made with raw lobster tails. The tails contain the most meat in a lobster and you'll need two for this recipe. If your lobster is pre-cooked then simply skip steps 5 & 6 for cooking the lobster and chop it as stated in the recipe.

Lobster is quite expensive, can we use something else?

To keep the cost down you can swap one or both lobster tails for cooked shrimp (prawns). We tested this recipe with shrimp and it worked well.

Can we make this alcohol free?

Yes, if you've ever tried vodka sauce you'll know it has such a good and unique flavour but you can leave the vodka out if you prefer.

Can we freeze them?

Yes, but you will need to par-boil the ravioli for 1-2 minutes first, lay them on a clean kitchen towel and leave to dry before freezing to stop them cracking. When cooking from frozen add them straight to salted boiling water without thawing or defrosting them first or the pasta will turn sticky.

More Italian Pasta Recipes you might like

• Egg Yolk Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta
• Cavatelli and Broccoli Pasta
• Mushroom Ravioli With Parmesan Cream Sauce
• Easy Parmesan Pasta with Butter & Pepper
• White Truffle Cacio E Pepe Recipe (cheese and pepper pasta)
• Pasta Amatriciana – Bucatini, Tomato And Guanciale
• Gnocchi with Walnut Sauce – Salsa di Noci

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 batch homemade pasta dough

For the Filling

• 2 raw lobster tails (or 200g/7 oz cooked shrimp/prawns)
• 1.5 cups ricotta ((375g))
• 6-7 sun-dried tomatoes ((½ a cup))
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley
• ½ lemon zest
• Salt and pepper (to season)

For the Sauce

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 shallot (finely chopped)
• 1 cup sieved tomatoes/passata ((240g))
• ⅓ cup heavy cream ((80ml double cream))
• ⅓ cup vodka ((80ml))
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper (to season)

Method

How to make the filling

1. Blitz the ricotta and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor until smooth and creamy (there might still be small chunks of tomato but that's ok).

2. Add the parsley and lemon zest and pulse until combined then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. Cook the lobster tails in boiling water for around 7-8 minutes (they'll turn bright red).

4. Set the lobster aside until cool enough to touch or plunge into a bowl of cold water. Cut the lobster in half and remove the meat.

5. Finely chop the lobster meat then add it to a bowl with the rest of the ricotta filling mixture.

Fill and seal the ravioli

1. Roll out the pasta using a pasta machine. Fill and seal the ravioli with 1 tsp of filling per ravioli.(we love to use a ravioli maker to fill the ravioli but check out this guide for full instructions and other methods).

How to make the sauce

1. Add finely chopped shallots and garlic to a skillet (frying pan) with a little olive oil and saute until soft but not browned.

2. Next, add the sieved tomatoes and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3. Add the vodka, stir and simmer the sauce for around 7-8 minutes to cook out the alcohol, season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the cream and parsley and stir into the sauce and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. You can thin out the sauce with around ⅓ cup 80ml of pasta water when the ravioli are cooking.

5. When the sauce is ready bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ravioli for around 3-4 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the sauce, toss gently to coat in the sauce and serve.

Kitchen notes

• Pasta dough Follow this recipe for making Homemade Pasta Dough it's the recipe we use every time!
• You'll find our Ultimate Guide to Homemade Ravioli helpful when it comes to filling and sealing the ravioli.
• Cooking the lobster Make sure the lobster has cooled completely before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.
• The sauce You'll probably need to thin out the sauce with some pasta water so if you're making it advance wait until you are cooking the ravioli to thin it out.
• Preparing in advance If you're making the ravioli only a few hours in advance then sit them in plenty semolina flour and cover with a dishcloth to stop them drying out too much.
• You can make the sauce in advance to speed things up!
• You can make the filling in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
• Draining the pasta Always transfer the ravioli to the sauce with a slotting spoon instead of draining them in a colander. They're delicate and might burst if you do. PLUS any extra pasta water will add flavour and help emulsify the sauce.