Cheesy Shrimp Casserole
This cheesy Shrimp Casserole recipe is a delicious combination of cheese, shrimp and wild rice in cream of mushroom soup, that can be served at a party or a weeknight family meal.
This cheesy Shrimp Casserole is comfort food at it’s finest. It’s creamy, cheesy, and packed full of tender shrimp…what more could you ask for in a casserole??
In my house this is a casserole we make a couple of times a year, usually for Christmas Eve and/or New Year’s Eve. The shrimp makes it feel a little decadent and fancy so it’s perfect for parties or special occasions but it’s such a simple casserole recipe to make that it works just as well as a weeknight family dinner.
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What is in Shrimp Casserole?
- Shrimp – For this recipe you’ll use medium size raw shrimp that have been peeled and have the tails removed.
- Long Grain & Wild Rice blend – A rice blend like this will usually come in a box. You’ll follow the package instructions for cooking it. You can use chicken broth instead of water when making the rice if you want to bump up the flavor.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – Good old cream of mushroom soup. It is a staple of easy casserole recipes!
- Cheddar Cheese – You can use mild or sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe but I prefer sharp.
- Spices – Old Bay seasoning, onion powder, and salt, are mixed together to take this casserole to the next level.
The great thing about this casserole…or any casserole recipe really, is that you can make simple additions based on what you like. Our version doesn’t have any vegetables in it but you can easily add bell pepper, garlic, chopped onion, and even toss in some fresh parsley.
Love Recipes with Shrimp? Try our Chili Garlic Shrimp and Shrimp Salad!
How to Make a Shrimp Casserole
Step 1 – Prepare oven. Preheat oven to 350° F.
Step 2 – Cook Rice. Cook wild rice according to instructions on the package.
Step 3 – Boil Shrimp. In a separate pot boil water and add shrimp cooking, cooking for 3 – 4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Drain shrimp.
Step 4 – Put it all together. Combine cooked rice, cooked shrimp, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, Old Bay, onion powder, and salt in one bowl stirring to mix it together thoroughly.
Step 5 – Bake. Spoon the mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. You can sprinkle a little extra cheddar cheese on top if you like.
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cheesy is melted and bubbling.
Step 6 – Serve. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
When the casserole comes out of the oven get ready to dig in! The tender shrimp is baked into a sea of creamy, cheesy, rice, and that little addition of Old Bay seasoning gives it just a little kick of flavor. Grab a fork and enjoy!
Yes, you can freeze a shrimp and rice casserole for 2-3 months. Just let it cool completely and then store in a freezer safe dish. Make sure the dish is tightly sealed before freezing.
Shrimp needs to be cooked to 120 degrees F to ensure it is safely prepared.
You could add raw shrimp to this casserole as long as you cook it until it reaches 120 degrees F in the center.
We cook our shrimp before adding it to the casserole to avoid any cross contamination that might lead to unwanted bacteria in the dish. Since you’re only cooking the casserole until it is warmed through it may not reach 120 degrees F all the way in the center of the casserole.
Refrigerator – To reheat shrimp casserole after storing it in the refrigerator simply place an individual portion in the microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
If you are reheating the whole casserole you can cover the dish with foil and heat in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
Freezer – If you are reheating frozen shrimp casserole you’ll want to let the casserole defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can then place an individual portion in the microwave and heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
If you are reheating the whole casserole you can cover the dish with foil and heat in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
What to Serve with Shrimp Casserole
This casserole is a meal all on it’s own but if you’d like to serve it with a side dish we recommend a simple vegetable or some bread.
- Winter Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
- Apple Walnut Salad
- Easy Cucumber and Tomatoes Salad
- Texas Toast Garlic Bread
Looking for More Easy Casseroles?
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Cheesy Baked Zucchini Casserole
- Bacon Ranch Chicken Biscuit Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Taco Macaroni Casserole
- More Casseroles…
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Cheesy Shrimp Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound Shrimp, medium size, peeled, tail-off
- 1 (12 ounce) package Long Grain & Wild Rice Blend
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can Cream of Mushroom soup
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cook wild rice according to instructions on the package.
- In a separate pot boil water and add shrimp cooking, cooking for 3 – 4 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Drain shrimp.
- Combine cooked rice, cooked shrimp and remaining ingredients in one bowl stirring to mix it together thoroughly.
- Spoon the mixture into a greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cheesy is melted and bubbling.
- Remove and serve.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 23, 2014. It was republished with an updated recipe and photos on January 29, 2020.
Oh yum!! This looks so good and our family loves shrimp!! Minute Rice to the rescue again!!
Definitely love being able to make rice in 10minutes
Yum, this looks delicious! I love Old Bay. Visiting from Friendship Friday 🙂
I love rice and I love shrimp! This has my name written all over it. I can’t wait to make this for my family.
This looks amazing! Sending it to my mom and dad because it’s right up their alley!
This looks so good! We always have shrimp for New Year’s Eve. Can’t wait to try this!
Well this sounds divine! Thank you for sharing, visiting from Marvelous Monday.
what is old bay seasoning– never have seen it– who carries it—- if I can’t find it what would be equal to it— Thank You
Thsi is old bay http://www.oldbay.com/products/old-bay-seasoning.aspx and this is someone’s homemade version. I have never made my own but it looks good http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/marinade/homemade-old-bay-seasoning-mix.html .
This looks amazing! Keep posting stuff like this, it always looks incredible! I am making this ASAP! Thanks!
This looks definitely delicious! 🙂
I love shrimp! This recipe sounds so delicious! Thanks for linking up to our Creative Spark party last week! We hope to see you again this week! http://twopurplecouches.com/2014/12/creative-spark-link-party-35/
This looks so good that my mouth is watering! Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you taking the time to stop by our party. We love partying with you! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
Oh yep, you could totally get me tucking into this! Looks delicious.
Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
Looks sooo delicious! Love shrimp… will have to try it! Would love to invite you to link up with us tomorrow please. Have a wonderful week 🙂
I made this tonight and it was so delicious!! This will definitely be on the favorites list!!
I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks so much for letting us know!
What do you do with the mushroom soup? I don’t see it in the directions
In step 4 you combine the rice, shrimp, and remaining ingredients (including the cream if mushroom soup).
Question… the recipe calls for 12 oz. of rice. I have Rice-A-Roni that is 4.3 oz. box. Do I really use 3 boxes of uncooked rice?
Yes it really is 12 ounces of uncooked wild rice blend. This makes a pretty big batch of shrimp and wild rice!
Tried it over the weekend, Loved it!
I’m so glad you liked it!
I have never seen Minute® Multi-Grain Medley I am from Ontario Canada what can I use instead? t
You can use any wild rice, instant or not instant. Just cook it according to the instructions on the package and then follow our recipe. If you aren’t a fan of wild rice this recipe works with any type of rice but I do think that the seasonings that are usually in a boxed wild rice add a lot of flavor.
Just made this and it is easy and delicious!!
YAY!! Thanks Trina
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You should definitely start with WordPress that is what most bloggers use and it is free. Pay for hosting and a domain name and use WordPress.org vs WordPress.com. That way you will own your blog and you won’t have to move things over as you grow. WordPress comes with most hosting packages
Hi there! Just wondering how much rice is equal to 3 bags… I don’t have any Minute Rice. I am using wild rice instead.
You should use 8 oz (dry) of wild rice.
Havent’ made it yet,, but preparing to do so in a casserole main dish for Christmas Eve. Should I change amounts of any ingredient to make up 2 pds of shrimp? i.e. should I use 4 tsp Old Bay? 4 tsp onioin pouder? What about amts of cheese, , bags of Minute Multi Grain Medley and mushroom soup? I know some recipes don’t double well. Hope you read this in time before I double everything tomorrow!! And, one last thing: Merry Christmas!!
This recipe should double easily. I would double all of the ingredients. I hope you enjoy it!! Merry Christmas!!
sorry, followed this recipe to the letter. waste of time time and good shrimp, thank God the veggies and ‘Famous Daves corn bread saved the day,wish I could be more positive,ingredients sounded good, just did not work for us,
I’ve made this for years but with long grain rice, tbsp Whorshishire, .5 tbsp dried mustard, .5 tbsp lemon juice and some red pepper. Always gets rave reviews.
Sounds delish!
This casserole was easy to make and very good. I used two 4.3 oz. boxes of Rice-A-Roni Wild Rice and reduced the recommended amount of overall water by 1/4 cup. I also added in chopped Jalapenos and Cajun seasoning to kick it up a bit.
Could the rice be substituted with cauliflower rice?
That’s a great idea!! I’ve never tried it (but now I want to). The cauliflower may release a little water but other than that I think it will work!
Do I prepare the box of wild rice blend without the flavor packet included in the box?
You include the flavor packet. Cook the rice according to the instructions in the box.
Do you have to use wild rice?
Hi Kristen, I have never made it with anything other than wild rice. It comes with a seasoning package which a lot of the flavor of the recipe so I’m not sure how it would taste with another, plain, rice.
I made this casserole tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I had to use long grain white rice and it worked out just fine. I will definitely be making it again as well as trying your other recipes. Thank you so much!
Haven’t prepared this recipe yet but intend to. I fear that the shrimp will be overdone because of cooking them twice. I don’t want to do that. Any thoughts???
Follow the recipe instructions and it will turn out great!
You could add the shrimp in raw if you prefer. I haven’t tried it myself but they should cook through without a problem.
DO NOT add the teaspoon of salt. It was way to salty for us. I used an Aldi wild rice mix which may have had too much salt. I suggest adding your own after tasting. Other than that it was very good.
So easy! I suggest not using onion salt. Perhaps onion flakes or a quarter of an onion. It was a bit too salty. We will definitely make it again.
Have you tried to use already cooked frozen shrimp?