This cheesy shrimp casserole is one of the best comfort food recipes you can make. Oozing with cheese and cream, it’s filled with deliciously soft shrimp. Just the addition of shrimp alone is a special spin on the popular standard mac and cheese. While easy to make this shrimp alfredo casserole looks and tastes utterly lavish and decadent. So get ready to impress your guests by pairing this casserole dish with white wine or our refreshing tomato juice cocktail.
Tips on Making Cheesy Shrimp Casserole
Wondering what to make with shrimp and macaroni from your pantry? This baked shrimp casserole recipe uses only several ingredients that will have your dinner ready instantly. With just 15 minutes of prep time, this shrimp casserole is a delicious and life-saving dinner recipe! Read on to get some simple tips.
- You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. If your shrimp is frozen, don’t forget to thaw them first. If they’re fresh shrimp however, you’ll have to clean them before boiling. This means cutting off their heads and legs, then deshelling and deveining them.
- We used the basic ingredients of an alfredo sauce for this creamy shrimp casserole. While not required for this recipe, using cream of mushroom soup as a base makes a thicker casserole with an enhanced flavor of mushrooms.
- If you prefer a healthier starch, you can replace the elbow macaroni with any type of rice. Wild rice and brown rice are healthy alternatives to make a shrimp and rice casserole.
- Use the shrimp heads you cleaned to add more flavor. They’ll need to be blanched for 1 minute. Then, simply toss them in a food processor to get the juices. If you don’t have this appliance, a mortar and pestle will work just fine.
How To Make Cheesy Shrimp Casserole
This easy shrimp casserole recipe brings you the right mix of a lot of creamy cheese and juicy shrimp for the perfect seafood dinner.
Ingredients
- ½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1½ cups elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled
- 2 cups cheese, mixed, of your choice, (used mozzarella and cheddar cheese), shredded and divided
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated or powdered
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅓ cup half-and-half
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided, shredded
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and ground black pepper, to season
To Serve:
- ⅛ tsp parsley, per serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk half of the mixed cheeses, parmesan cheese, half-and-half, egg, butter, and garlic together.
- Add the shrimp and cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper, then toss to combine evenly.
- Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Nutrition
- Sugar: 3g
- :
- Calcium: 731mg
- Calories: 652kcal
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Cholesterol: 150mg
- Fat: 39g
- Fiber: 2g
- Iron: 1mg
- Monounsaturated Fat: 10g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
- Potassium: 240mg
- Protein: 33g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Sodium: 777mg
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Vitamin A: 1159IU
- Vitamin C: 1mg
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use cooked shrimp in this shrimp casserole recipe?
Yes, you can pre-cook the shrimp. Just don’t leave them unattended while they cook. Shrimp cooks quite quickly. You’ll know they’re ready if they form a C-shape. Keep in mind that undercooked shrimp will form a U-shape while overcooked shrimp will look like a circle.
Is it better to cook a casserole before freezing?
It depends on the casserole you are making. If it contains raw meat like this recipe, it’s vital you bake your casserole first before freezing otherwise the meat will get rancid. If it has pre-cooked meat or no meat like a wild rice casserole or an alfredo casserole, you can freeze right away without cooking.
Conclusion
A creamy, quick, and easy seafood casserole is the perfect meal when you’re in the mood for shellfish and a whole lot of cheese. Enjoy the creamiest cheesy shrimp casserole with your family in less than an hour with this simple recipe.Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
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