I’ve been lobster tail and pasta obsessed lately. And I have every reason to be. I mean, they are simply delicious. I love how easy lobster tails are to handle and pasta, I mean c’mon, what’s not to love. This creamy tomato lobster pasta is so satisfyingly GOOD! You can absolutely use shrimp or chicken instead, or completely omit the protein and enjoy a mouthwatering bowl of this creamy pasta.
I could eat pasta for breakfast lunch and dinner. And In those days of postpartum, I definitely did have pasta for breakfast, at least a few times. Oh, and ice cream sandwiches. When you’re up at 3 am feeding a newborn, 7am becomes the new 1 pm and that means lunch, or ice cream.
This pasta is so easy to make and utilizes staple items that you most likely have in your pantry and fridge. Tomato paste and heavy cream are the base of this sauce. Kind of like a vodka sauce, but without the vodka. Whenever I make any type of pasta, I always reserve the water it’s cooked in. That’s why it’s important to generously salt your water before boiling the pasta. Also just as important, taste your sauce and be sure not to over-salt, since the water contains salt.
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Sauté grated onion and garlic in butter and oil, add tomato paste and cook down for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the heavy cream, salt, and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add reserved pasta water to the sauce, lobster and parmesan cheese.
- Lastly, add in the pasta and toss to combine. Top with parsley.
I like to cook sauces in a large cast iron skillet, which makes it easier to add the pasta directly to the pan and serve. I’ve made this creamy tomato lobster pasta dish many times before but instead of lobster, I’ve used grilled chicken breast, chicken cutlets and sometimes shrimp. You can use whatever pasta shape you’d like, I happened to have a few boxes of fettuccine on hand, but penne, rigatoni or even bow tie is great, too.
Creamy Tomato Lobster Pasta
Equipment
- Cast Iron Casserole Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta your choice
- (4) 4 oz lobster tails
- 2 tbsp grape seed oil or olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup grated yellow onion
- 3 cloves grated garlic
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ cups reserved pasta water
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese reserve some for topping (optional)
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Boil your lobster tails in salted water for about 6 minutes. A little underdone is fine, since they will finish in the sauce. Once they are cool enough to handle. Cut the shell of the tail lengthwise and remove the meat (see notes.) Chop and set aside.
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions. I like to cook mine 1-2 minutes shy of al dente and finish cooking in the pasta sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce. In your skillet on medium heat, add your oil, grated onion and garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Next, add in your tomato paste. Cook it down for about 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. Pour in your heavy cream. The sauce will start to form at this point. Add in the crushed red pepper and salt.
- Now add your reserved pasta water, cheese and chopped lobster meat. Cook for about 2 minutes on medium low heat.
- Lastly, add the pasta to the sauce. Toss to combine and turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Top with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese (optional.) Enjoy!
Notes
- Youtube is amazing for videos on how to easily remove lobster meat from the tail.
- I used fettuccine pasta, but penne, rigatoni or even bow tie is great too!
- If you don’t have any lobster tails or prefer to use a different protein, grilled chicken is also delicious. If you are a vegetarian, just omit the protein part.
- I like to reserve the pasta water after the pasta is almost done. That’s when you’ll get the starches from the pasta that will help thicken your sauce.
- If you don’t have a cast iron skillet big enough, you can use a 12 inch fry pan to make the sauce. Just drain your pasta in a colander and then add the sauce to the pot of drained pasta.
