Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Wondering what to make with shrimp and rice from your pantry? With just 10 minutes of prep, this dump-and-bake shrimp and rice casserole is a delicious and easy dinner recipe for busy nights!
Table of Contents
If you love shrimp recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this 15-minute honey garlic shrimp, this easy shrimp scampi, these skillet shrimp fajitas, and this garlic and rosemary broiled shrimp, too!
Why You’ll Love this Shrimp and Rice Casserole Recipe
- Easy. Thanks to the convenient dump-and-bake method, everything cooks together in a single dish. We all appreciate meals with minimal prep work!
- Kitchen Staples. I have certain kitchen staples that I always keep on hand for quick last-minute meals, and frozen shrimp and white rice are two of those must-have items. There are endless ways to combine these two ingredients for a simple supper, and this just might be one of the best yet: a light, creamy casserole that’s full of flavor and ready in just minutes!
- Family-Friendly. Thanks to mild, familiar flavors and ingredients, this dish appeals to just about everyone at the table. You can also tweak it to suit your family’s taste preferences. For instance, add your favorite fresh herbs and seasonings like parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, Old Bay seasoning, or garlic powder.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this easy shrimp and rice casserole. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup: the binder that holds the casserole together. Feel free to sub with a different soup flavor, such as condensed cream of celery soup.
- Green bell pepper: feel free to sub with red bell pepper, diced pimentos, diced zucchini, frozen peas, diced celery, or other veggies that you like.
- Onion: I like to use frozen diced onion, which is a nice shortcut and it also ensures that the onion is tender by the time the casserole is done.
- Cooked rice: a packet of microwaveable rice is a convenient shortcut, but you can also use leftover cooked rice from a previous meal. Any variety is fine — long grain white rice, wild rice, brown rice, or instant rice.
- Worcestershire sauce: for salty umami flavor. Soy sauce is a fine substitute.
- Ground mustard and ground black pepper: for a little bit of zippy flavor.
- Shrimp: you’ll need peeled and deveined raw shrimp for this recipe. If starting with frozen shrimp, make sure that they’re thawed before adding them to the dish.
- Italian style breadcrumbs, melted butter, and grated Parmesan cheese: come together to create the crunchy topping.
Do I cook the rice before adding it to the casserole?
Yes! This recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked rice. You can boil your own rice on the stovetop, use leftovers from a previous meal, or take advantage of parboiled rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice). If using the microwaveable rice, you do not need to microwave it before adding it straight to the casserole (it will soften and finish cooking in the oven).
How to Make Shrimp and Rice Casserole
This shrimp casserole recipe takes advantage of just a handful of shortcut ingredients to get a meal on the table quickly. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine condensed soup, bell pepper, onion, cooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, pepper and shrimp in a large bowl. If you’re using a package of instant microwaveable rice (such as the Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice shown here), you do NOT need to microwave it in advance. Just dump-and-stir!
- Transfer the shrimp mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Stir together the breadcrumb topping.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the shrimp are pink.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy shrimp and rice casserole goes well with any of your favorite vegetable sides. Here are some easy options to try:
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- Crusty French Baguette, Soft Dinner Rolls, or Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Fried Corn
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Roasted Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Cranberry Sauce
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This is a great make-ahead dinner. You can assemble the entire casserole up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Before baking, allow the dish to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- You can freeze the casserole before baking. Wrapped tightly, the assembled casserole will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before baking according to recipe directions.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat the casserole: If reheating an entire casserole, cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in a 350°F oven until warmed through (about 20 minutes). Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- I use Italian style bread crumbs (because the extra seasoning adds nice flavor), but you can use panko breadcrumbs, regular plain bread crumbs, or any other variety. Combine the bread crumbs will melted butter and Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle over top of the casserole.
- Use any variety of cooked rice that you prefer — wild rice, brown rice, or white rice all work well!
- The recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup, but you can substitute with any flavor condensed soup that you prefer. Cream of celery would be another good option!
- Top the casserole with shredded cheddar cheese before adding the breadcrumb topping.
- Add other veggies to the casserole. For instance, swap out the green bell pepper and use red bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes or rotel tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, frozen peas, frozen (thawed) green beans, or sliced zucchini. If using larger vegetables like broccoli florets, you’ll want to steam or parboil the broccoli before adding it to the casserole.
Tips for the Best Shrimp and Rice Casserole Recipe
- If using a package of microwaveable rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice shown here), you do NOT need to microwave the rice before adding it to the casserole. It will bake in the oven and be perfectly tender by the end!
- I like to use frozen diced onion, which is a nice shortcut and also ensures that the onion is soft and tender in the finished dish.
- Fresh or frozen (and thawed) shrimp are both fine to use here. The cooking time is based on medium size shrimp (41-50 count per pound), so if you use larger or smaller shrimp, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Season the recipe to suit your preferences. For instance, add extra herbs and spices such as parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, chives, paprika, Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, or crushed red pepper flakes. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice would also be great!
- Keep an eye on the dish during the final few minutes of baking, because you don’t want to overcook the shrimp (it will turn out tough and chewy). You know it’s ready to come out of the oven as soon as the shrimp turns pink.
- This small recipe serves about 2-3 people. If you are feeding a larger family, I recommend doubling the ingredients and baking the shrimp and rice casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish.
More Popular Shrimp Recipes
Marinated Grilled Shrimp
35 minutes mins
Southern Shrimp and Grits Recipe
25 minutes mins
Fried Shrimp
40 minutes mins
Dump and Bake Shrimp and Rice Casserole
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
With just 10 minutes of prep, this easy shrimp and rice casserole is a delicious dinner recipe for busy nights!
Ingredients
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, not diluted
- ½ of a small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped onion (I use frozen pre-diced onion for a shortcut and to make sure it's soft)
- 2 cups cooked rice (I used an 8.8 ounce package of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice for a shortcut)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ lb. raw peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium 41-50 count shrimp) (frozen and thawed is fine)
- ¼ cup Italian style bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted salted butter
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together condensed soup, bell pepper, onion, rice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper and shrimp. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top of the casserole. Cover and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking (uncovered) for about 10 more minutes, or until shrimp are pink and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Notes
- If using a package of microwaveable rice (such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice shown here), you do NOT need to microwave the rice before adding it to the casserole. It will bake in the oven and be perfectly tender by the end!
- I like to use frozen diced onion, which is a nice shortcut and also ensures that the onion is soft and tender in the finished dish.
- Fresh or frozen (and thawed) shrimp are both fine to use here. The cooking time is based on medium size shrimp (41-50 count per pound), so if you use larger or smaller shrimp, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Season the recipe to suit your preferences. For instance, add extra herbs and spices such as parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, chives, paprika, Old Bay seasoning, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, or crushed red pepper flakes. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice would also be great!
- Keep an eye on the dish during the final few minutes of baking, because you don’t want to overcook the shrimp (it will turn out tough and chewy). You know it’s ready to come out of the oven as soon as the shrimp turns pink.
- This small recipe serves about 2-3 people. If you are feeding a larger family, I recommend doubling the ingredients and baking the shrimp and rice casserole in a 9 x 13-inch dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/3 of the casseroleCalories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 22gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 205mgSodium: 1052mgPotassium: 773mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 19.1mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 2.3mg
Hi Blair! This recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it.
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to sautee the onion and the green bell pepper before adding them to the rest of ingredients?
Thanks!!
Hi, Alicia! You can certainly do that — it won’t hurt. 🙂 If chopped finely, the vegetables become tender as the casserole bakes, so pre-cooking isn’t necessary (but again, you can definitely saute first if you prefer). 🙂
So, I made this recipe and it turned out sooo yummy and easy to prepare!! I finally didn’t pre-cook the veggies and they were tender as you mentioned above. Next time I think I will add a little garlic,but just because I’m such a garlic lover and I think it would work well with this dish. My husband and girls really enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your recipes!!
So glad to hear that! Thanks, Alicia!
I just came across your recipe and can’t wait to try it. I was wondering if you can used precooked shrimp instead of raw shrimp and would there be a difference in cooking time?
Hi, Rita! Yes, you can definitely use cooked shrimp. I would just add them at the very end and just let them warm through in the dish. Don’t bake them for very long, or they will get tough and rubbery.
Enjoyed the recipe very much as did my family. Only change I’ll make the next time, is adding some garlic. Thanls it was delish!
That’s great! Thanks, Diane!
I was searching for shrimp casserole recipes, since I had three bags frozen shrimp in my freezer. I made as recipe stated except I added frozen peas instead of the bell pepper, I used light cream of celery soup. I also made the topping with Italian flavored Panko , olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon juice . Very yummy and light.
Thanks, Carrie! I’m so glad that it worked for you! Your changes sound great!
Made this tonight, delicious! The crunch of the green peppers and onion not being sautéed first, made it even more awesome for me!
I substituted cauliflower rice for regular rice to keep it a little healthier, not cooking that before adding it to the soup, veggie, shrimp mixture either . Worked out great. Fabulous recipe, thank you Blair!
Wow — that’s awesome, Barbara! I’m glad to know that it works with the cauliflower rice, too!
Oh my gosh! This recipe is delicious! I doubled the recipe, so I used one can of cream of mushroom soup and one can of cream of shrimp soup. I did not sautee the vegetables before baking the casserole, and they were perfect. I used a combination of white rice and wild rice. I also stirred in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream. My family loved it and it will now be my “go to” recipe for potlucks and food gifts! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
In the oven as I type….I used the holy grail mix & added sweet corn
Sounds perfect! Hope you enjoy!
I do not see where you add the rice?
Hi, Lynn! In Step #2, it says to stir together the condensed soup, bell pepper, onion, rice…
Enjoy the meal!
Sorry I see it now. I have made a similar recipe handed down from my grandmother. But I like the extras you put in it. Txs.
No problem! Enjoy! 🙂
My family LOVED this recipe and I loved how simple it is. I added a medley of frozen onion, red, green, and yellow peppers, and topped it with Ritz crackers. Will definitely make this one again!
Wonderful, Amanda! Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
It wasn’t bad but it was pretty blah. I will try it again perhaps with some garlic or condensed shrimp soup.
this recipe needed a lot of help. firstly i tossed the shrimp with lemon pepper while making the base. used 1 pound of shrimp.
i mixed everyhing in the casserole dish, no need for a bowl. added 2 T sour cream., 1 t garlic powder, 1/4c chopped scallion, 2 T lemon juice. used 1/4 c asiago with the bread crumbs and butter. this needed 40 minutes to bake. we did like it very much with these changes.
Was excellent! Added some garlic and defrosted frozen broccoli! I used a yellow pepper so it would stand out against the broccoli.
Perfect! Thanks, Julie!
Blair I lived in VA until 2006 when I moved to Fl. I have used many of your recipes and I must tell you i have never been disappointed. You are a wonderful cook and I wish I could be also.
Thank you, Aurora! You totally made my day. 🙂 I’m so glad that you enjoy the meals, and it sounds like you’re well on your way to learning how to cook! It’s just practice, practice, practice…and I’m always learning something new, too. Have a great week!
Annie, you needn’t be rude and disrespectful simply because you didn’t like this dish. What was your purpose in writing anyway? Your comments are not helpful, and might also say something about your skills as a cook too.
TI’ve made this several times; always a hit! I like the idea of adding a bit of sour cream and garlic, so I’ll try that next time: Serving it without to 7 guests tonight! What’s the garnish in the photos . . . parsley?
Thanks, Robin. Yes, that’s parsley as a garnish in the photos. My mom and grandmother always garnished plates with parsley, so that’s my go-to. Fresh thyme or basil would also be delicious, though!
It was very good. I would definitely put garlic in and mor flavor. I did the last couple of minutes on high broil to toast the bread crumbs
Thanks, Barbara!
If I double this, how much longer should I cook, covered & uncovered?
Hi, Robin! I would bake the dish covered for 25-30 minutes, then remove the cover for the final 10 minutes. It shouldn’t need too much extra time. Hope you enjoy!
Okay, thanks; that’s what I went with. Couldn’t remember what I’d done last time, just knew it had worked; it’s on the final 10 now!
41/50 shrimp are medium shell on, personally I would go for the 51/60, same size but no peeling required.
Thanks for the tip!
Just made this yet again, only this time with chicken instead of shrimp because I had some baked chicken I needed to use! I subbed frozen peas & corn for the green pepper and used cream of chicken & mushroom soup, but otherwise, no changes, and it was another big hit! Really love the versatility of this recipe!!
Wonderful! Thanks, Robin. I’m glad to know that it works well with chicken, too. 🙂
What do you mean ‘no changes’? You changed the entire recipe!
easy dinner I subsituted alfredo sauce and one cup of fresh sliced mushrooms instead of the soup turned out as good as the original recipe
That sounds great, Sandra! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Absolutely delicious! I doubled and followed all the directions, except I precooked the veggies. We have a picky eater in our house lol. Perfectly seasoned too!
Thank you, Ashley!