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Shrimp Casserole

Decadent shrimp casserole with a homemade cheese sauce! This is loaded with shrimp, rice, mushrooms and tons of flavor!

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Casseroles are a brilliant mainstay dish for a reason – they are filling, satisfying, and sometimes healthy. This recipe for a shrimp casserole is… reasonably healthy if you discount all of the cheese, but it is most definitely filling, not to mention delicious!

For more tasty shrimp recipes, why not make some simple Grilled Shrimp? If you need appetizers, make sure to try my Shrimp Dip or my shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce!

shrimp casserole on a brown dish

Shrimp Casserole

Most people don’t immediately gravitate towards making a casserole if they happen to have a large quantity of shrimp on hand. However, even though it isn’t the most traditional way to prepare shellfish, combining it with rice, veggies, and a rich cheese sauce is not only delicious, it is also weirdly fitting and satisfying.

The flavor of the shrimp in this recipe can definitely be swallowed up by the intensity of the cheese, so feel free to use plenty of Old Bay Seasoning to help bring back some of the seafood flavors to party.     

ingredients for shrimp casserole

Shrimp Casserole Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts, as there are a few fiddly ingredients here.

• Uncooked white rice

• Butter

• Chopped onion

• White mushrooms

Cheese Sauce with Green Peas

• Butter

• Minced garlic

• All-purpose flour

• Milk

• Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

• Old Bay Seasoning to taste

• Salt to taste

• Black pepper to taste

• Green peas (either fresh or frozen)

• raw shrimp, deveined and shelled

Topping

• Sharp Cheddar cheese

a spoon full of shrimp casserole

How To Make Shrimp Casserole

• Grease a 9×13 baking pan

• Cook the rice according to the package instructions

• In a large skillet, fry the onions and mushrooms until soft

• Stir in the rice and mix in the vegetables completely, and remove the heat

• Scoop the rice and vegetable mixture into a large bowl

• For the sauce, place the butter and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat

• Melt the butter and cook the garlic in it for 2 minutes

• Add your flour and then cook it for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously until it smells browned

• Pour in the milk mixture and whisk it rapidly to ensure that there are no lumps

• Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, frequently stirring until the mixture has thickened

• Add in the 2 cups of shredded cheese, Old Bay, and other seasonings

• Stir until the cheese has melted, and then taste and adjust

• Add in the green peas, cook until tender, then mix in the shrimp. Pour the sauce over the rice and vegetable mixture in the bowl and combine

• Scoop out onto the greased baking pan and bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until bubbling

• Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes before cooling and then serving

cheese sauce and green peas in a saucepan

How To Shell Your Own Shrimp

It is extremely easy to get a convenient packet of frozen shrimp that has already been deveined and shelled for you.

However, in the rare event that you manage to get a hold of a bag of fresh or frozen shrimp that are still unprepared, here’s how to do it yourself.

To start, you want to remove the shell completely. This is actually really easy, though it does require a little bit of shell cracking.

Simply straighten the shrimp out, with its outer edge or back facing away from you, until the shell completely straightens. This breaks some of its hold on the flesh and makes it easy to then simply peel the shell and tail away.

Don’t throw the shell away, though! Chuck it in the freezer and, on a day when you want something fresh and seafood flavored, toast the shells in a little bit of oil until pink, and then pour in water and simmer for 20 minutes to make your own shrimp stock!

cheese casserole in a white casserole dish

How To Devein Your Shrimp

To devein shrimp at home, you really just need a good paring knife and a little bit of patience.

With the belly of the shrimp facing you, you want to look for a thin red line that runs down the seam of the shrimp – it sits just below the outer membrane and looks a bit like a string of seaweed.

This isn’t actually a vein but is instead the shrimp’s intestinal tracts that need removing to avoid any contamination of the rest of the shrimp.

To devein it, take the point of your paring knife and slide it under the vein, and then gently lift it out, coaxing it away from the shrimp’s body by sliding the knife up and down. Try and avoid tearing it if you can, as this will mean that you will have to wash the shrimp thoroughly before you can safely eat it.

Once fully separated, you can just peel the vein off of the shrimp and then move on to the next one.

Looking for more delicious Seafood recipes? Try these out:

Shrimp Salad

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Classic Tuna Casserole with Noodles

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

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Decadent shrimp casserole with a homemade cheese sauce! This is loaded with shrimp, rice, mushrooms and tons of flavor!

Shrimp Casserole

Decadent shrimp casserole with a homemade cheese sauce! This is loaded with shrimp, rice, mushrooms and tons of flavor!
4 from 2 votes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
6
Calories
612
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (about 4 1/2 cups cooked rice)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 pound white mushrooms washed and sliced

Cheese Sauce with Green Peas

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt add more to taste
  • 1 pinch black pepper or more to taste
  • 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
  • 1 pound cooked shrimp deveined and shelled

Topping

  • 1 cup sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
  • Cook the rice according to the package instructions.
  • In a large skillet, fry the onions and mushrooms until soft and cooked. Stir in the rice, and mix with the vegetables completely, then remove from the heat. Scoop the rice and vegetable mixture into a large bowl, then make your sauce.
  • Place the butter and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter and cook the garlic in it for 2 minutes.
  • Add your flour and cook it for about two minutes, stirring continuously until it starts to smell browned, like a baked pie crust.
  • Slowly pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, whisking rapidly to ensure that there are no lumps.
  • Cook this mixture, stirring, for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture has thickened up.
  • Add in the 2 cups of shredded cheese, Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until the cheese has melted in. Taste and add more seasoning, salt and pepper as needed. Mix in the green peas and cook in the sauce until tender, then stir in the shrimp and remove from the heat.
  • Pour the sauce over the rice and vegetable mixture in the bowl and combine completely. Scoop out into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until bubbling, then sprinkle the remaining one cup of cheese on top. Bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese has melted, then remove. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Recipe Notes

  • Adjust the seasonings to your liking in this recipe
  • You can add in cooked vegetables of your choice! This goes well with a lot of  veggies
  • This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice. You need 4 1/2 cups cooked rice.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 612kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 266mg, Sodium: 1055mg, Potassium: 639mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1031IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 533mg, Iron: 3mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

Site Index Casseroles Seafood Shrimp

Reader Interactions

Comments & Recipe Tips Share a tip or comment!

  1. Rudolph Julie says

    I made this with a few alterations and it’s fantastic! First no peas or green beans. I started with rice and layered it. Next layer was the butter, shrimp, onions and garlic mixture. The cheese sauce had the most alternatives. 4 oz cream cheese 1/2 c milk and cottage cheese blended. I poured that over the top and put cheddar cheese on top and baked at 350 for 45 minutes and served with garlic bread.5 stars

  2. RFN99 says

    Many people say that seafood and cheese don’t mix, but I disagree. I will suggest that one should use a light cheese to balance with the light flavour of the shrimp, such as mozzarella, cream cheese or maybe Parmesan or monterey jack. Cheddar, especially aged/old cheddar is too intense a flavour for seafood.3 stars

  3. Deb says

    So you use cooked shrimp and then bake for 30 minutes? Won’t the shrimp be overcooked?

  4. Deb says

    So you use cooked shrimp and the bake for 30 minutes? Won’t the shrimp be overcooked?

    • Sandy says

      That’s what I wondered. Can you use raw shrimp?

  5. cathy owens says

    When I was young my mom made a casserole with ground beef canned tomatoes cheese and macaroni and I can’t seem to find the right recipe
    I love casseroles if you have more I would love to make them

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