Cheesy Shrimp Casserole with Rice: Easy Southern Comfort Food

Shrimp Casserole is an easy-to-put-together Southern shrimp recipe. Shrimp, rice, sharp Cheddar cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and a few fresh vegetables make a delicious casserole that you don’t have to wait to have company over to enjoy. The tasty ingredients make this cheesy shrimp casserole the perfect comfort food.

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Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Shrimp Casserole

• Quick and simple: Uses pre-cooked ingredients for faster preparation
• Versatile: Works as a weeknight dinner, company meal, or buffet dish
• Family-friendly: Creamy, cheesy goodness that even picky eaters enjoy
• Make-ahead friendly: Prep earlier in the day and bake when needed
• Budget-stretcher: A little shrimp goes a long way in this filling casserole

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Casserole:

• Medium shrimp, cooked and peeled – Provides the star seafood flavor
• White rice, cooked – creates a hearty, filling base
• Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded – Adds rich, tangy flavor and creamy texture
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup – Creates a creamy, flavorful sauce
• Butter – Adds richness and is used for sautéing vegetables
• Green bell pepper, chopped – Provides fresh flavor and crunch
• Green onions, sliced – Offers mild onion flavor without overpowering
• Celery, diced – Adds subtle flavor and texture
• Lemon slices – Brightens the dish with fresh citrus notes
• Salt and black pepper – Enhances all flavors (optional)
• Fresh parsley, chopped – For optional garnish

How to Make Shrimp Casserole

The fact that the basic ingredients are precooked makes this a quick and easy shrimp casserole to put together. Here are the simple steps that will take you no time at all:

1. Stir the shrimp, rice, cheese, and soup together in a large bowl.

2. Sauté the peppers, onions, and celery in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender and add to the shrimp mixture. Taste and season salt and black pepper if desired.

3. Place in a baking dish and cover with lemon slices.

4. Cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Serve immediately. You can sprinkle chopped parsley on top for a garnish if desired.

Recipe Variations

One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. You can vary the ingredients and really make it your own. Here are a few suggestions:

• Soup: Vary the soup. Instead of cream of mushroom, go for cream of shrimp.
• Vegetables: Add other veggies, such as chopped carrots, peas, diced tomatoes, or corn. Swap the green bell pepper with red bell peppers for a pop of color.
• Rice: For this shrimp casserole with rice, you can easily choose brown rice or wild rice in place of white rice.
• Shrimp Casserole With Pasta: Instead of rice, you could use cooked noodles or pasta such as large wide egg noodles, penne, elbow macaroni, or shells.
• Shrimp Casserole With Potatoes: Another idea is to use cooked, crispy potato wedges.

Note: If you choose a substitute for the rice, avoid anything that may be too soft. You need ingredients with some body to complement the creamy seafood layer.

• Seafood Casserole: Add pretty much any seafood you like, and it will always turn out well. Go for a combination of succulent shrimp, sea scallops, crab meat, lobster meat, calamari, or fish. Seafood casserole is a big catch for your dinner table!
• Chicken and Shrimp Casserole: Combine shrimp and chicken.
• Spicy Shrimp Casserole – Add some cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
• Topping – Instead of lemon slices, drizzle lemon juice over the casserole and top with breadcrumbs mixed with a little melted butter. Mixing in some parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs would be good too.

Shrimp Casserole With Rice – Tips to Save Time

• Buying peeled and deveined shrimp saves a ton of time.
• Use precooked rice that comes in a pouch.
• Buy a frozen seasoning blend consisting of a “trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery. See the recipe below if you would like to make your own seasoning blend.

Homemade Seasoning Blend

Many recipes call for a “seasoning blend”, which is a blend of onions, green pepper, and celery. Some grocery stores carry a nicely proportioned bag of this seasoning blend in the freezer section. However, you can make it yourself and keep several quart-sized bags in your freezer that you can pull out as needed. 

Seasoning Blend Ingredients

• 2 cups bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped

Seasoning Blend Instructions

1. Toss 2 cups of the seasoning blend into each of 3 quart-sized freezer bags.
2. Flatten the bags out and place them in the freezer lying flat. Once frozen, they can be stacked upright. 
3. This seasoning mix recipe is about equal parts of all 3 vegetables, but you can choose to add or subtract amounts or add other ingredients to fit your taste buds.

What to Serve With This Cheesy Shrimp Casserole With Rice

It’s a good idea to stick with sides that have a crunch or freshness to them, so they balance well with the rich flavors of the shrimp casserole. Here are some ideas:

• Buttermilk Biscuits or Dinner Rolls
• Crisp Leafy Green Salad
• Cucumber Onion Salad
• Pineapple Mango Salsa

How to Store Shrimp Casserole Leftovers

Fridge: Leftovers can be stored in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Freezer: Wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe container. Seafood casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating: Using your oven is best for a dish containing shrimp. What you have to be most cautious about is the oven’s potential to dry your shrimp out. Follow these steps for the best results:

1. Thaw the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Preheat your oven to 300°F. 
3. Cover your pan or dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes. The trick here is to use a low temperature, so you don’t overcook your shrimp.

Warning: If you use a glass casserole dish, taking the dish straight from the fridge to the oven can cause the container to break from temperature shock.

Favorite Dinner Casserole Recipes

• Cheeseburger Casserole
• Chicken and Dressing Casserole
• Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Crab Casserole
• Mexican Tater Tot Casserole
• Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
• Pork Chop and Rice Casserole
• Reuben Casserole
• Sour Cream Noodle Bake
• Taco Casserole

Popular Shrimp Recipes

• Batter Fried Shrimp
• Bubba Gump Shrimp
• Shrimp Pasta Salad

Check out more of my easy casserole recipes and the best seafood recipes on CopyKat!