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Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole

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This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole is overflowing with zesty shrimp and veggies and rice, it’s easy to prep in advance, and it’s SO creamy and comforting and delicious.

This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole recipe is full of zesty flavors, a creamy (and lightened up!) garlicky sauce, and topped with tangy lemon and Parmesan. It's also easy to meal prep ahead of time, it can be made with chicken or sausage (if you're not into shrimp), and it's total, delicious comfort food.

Hola from Barcelona! ?

Today marks two weeks that we’ve been living in Spain, and — oh man, you guys — we are absolutely loving it. For a thousand reasons, this city just feels so magical…and exciting…and quirky, and delicious, and fun, and nuanced, and richly diverse, and alive, and literally full of surprises around every corner we turn. And we are soaking up every minute of it.

That said, at two weeks in, I feel like it’s a constant back-and-forthness each day between feeling like we’re just on vacation here…and feeling like we actually live here. ?

Probably about half of the time, it still just feels like we’re here on this extravagant trip — wandering down charming new streets for the first time, Yelp-ing new restaurants to try, taking long walks on the beach (omg, the beach!!), hearing different languages spoken around us all day long, freaking out over all of the adorable twinkly lights and banners strung everywhere you turn. But on the other hand, it’s kind of amazing how half of the time, this place is already totally starting to feel familiar. Like we really do live here! From waking up each morning in the same cute little apartment to the sound of our neighborhood pigeons, to knowing the twisty-turny routes to our favorite market and coffee shop and yoga studio and El Corte Inglés now by heart, to speaking Spanish all day long, to getting a wave from Alejandro at the wine shop next door each time we take our dogs out for a walk. In two short weeks, it’s kind of amazing how natural this place already feels.

Without a doubt, though, we’ve agreed that are two things that make this place feel like we actually live here more than anything — having our pups here, and cooking here.  I don’t know about you all, but there’s always been something so grounding for me about going to the market, bringing home groceries, and actually cooking a homemade meal that always makes a new place feel more like home. And while our tiny kitchen here still only boasts the single sauté pan and saucepan that it came with — plus an Instant Pot, which I’m thrilled to say just arrived from Spanish Amazon — Barclay and I have already had lots of fun cooking dates putting them to use.

One of our favorite recipes so far? This zesty and comforting Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole.

This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole recipe is full of zesty flavors, a creamy (and lightened up!) garlicky sauce, and topped with tangy lemon and Parmesan. It's also easy to meal prep ahead of time, it can be made with chicken or sausage (if you're not into shrimp), and it's total, delicious comfort food.

Why Cajun, you ask?

Ha, well, on the day that we cooked this, we went grocery shopping at a cute little market nearby that was overflowing with colorful bell peppers, fresh shrimp, and — of course — rice galore. But when we got home, we realized that we still hadn’t purchased any spices for our kitchen yet here in Spain. ? Thankfully, I had packed a few of my favorites (that I thought might not be available here) in my suitcase to bring over from the States, including a trusty tin of Old Bay.

So…Cajun food it was!

Also, ha, our small sauté pan that came with the apartment wasn’t quite big enough to hold all of the rice and veggies and shrimp that we had prepared. So I whipped up a simple Cajun alfredo sauce, stirred everything together in a large baking dish, and popped it in the oven to cook a bit longer. Then once it was ready, we sprinkled it with lots of extra Parm and parsley and lemon juice. And sure enough, it ended up turning into a total comfort food win.

This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole recipe is full of zesty flavors, a creamy (and lightened up!) garlicky sauce, and topped with tangy lemon and Parmesan. It's also easy to meal prep ahead of time, it can be made with chicken or sausage (if you're not into shrimp), and it's total, delicious comfort food.

I mean, I don’t know how you can really go wrong here. Zesty shrimp and veggies, creamy (and lightened up) Cajun alfredo sauce, lots of hearty rice — win-win-win. ? PLUS, if you happen to be cooking for a crowd, this dish could be easily made a few hours ahead of time, then heated in the oven just before serving. And of course, if shrimp isn’t your thing, chicken and/or sausage would totally work here too.

So cheers to comfort food all around…wherever in the world it may find you.

Enjoy, everyone!

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Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 14 reviews
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole is full of bold and zesty flavors, it’s easy to prep ahead of time, and it’s totally comforting and delicious.  Feel free to sub in chicken or smoked sausage in place of the shrimp (or to go along with the shrimp), if you’d like.


Ingredients

Scale

Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds raw, peeled, large shrimp (tails on or off)
  • Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or butter), divided
  • 2 large bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced (I used one red, one yellow)
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups cooked rice
  • 1 batch alfredo sauce (see below)
  • toppings: lots of fresh lemon slices/wedges, finely-chopped fresh parsley, extra Parmesan cheese

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock (or you can use milk instead)
  • 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
  • 3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt + 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

To Make The Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Season the shrimp on both sides with a few pinches of salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil (or melt butter) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.  Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a clean plate, and set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining olive oil (or butter) in the sauté pan.  Add bell peppers and onion, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the okra and garlic, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Transfer the cooked shrimp, veggie mixture, rice and alfredo sauce to a large mixing bowl, and toss until evenly combined.  Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and spread out evenly.
  5. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, and serve immediately, garnished with toppings (

To Make The Alfredo Sauce:

  1. Heat olive oil (or melt butter) in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Sauté for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
  2. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk until combined, and bring the mixture to a simmer.  (Be careful not to let it boil.)  Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for an additional minute until the sauce has thickened.  Then add in the Parmesan cheese, Old Bay, salt and pepper, and stir until the cheese melted.  Remove from heat and set aside.

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20 comments on “Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Casserole”

  1. This looks soooooo good. I can’t wait to try it!

  2. Just totally wondering about that secession thing ….. hopefully it is not disrupting daily life as much as the news makes it out to be! Can’t wait to hear more about your adventures!

  3. Loved reading about the creation of your Cajon Shrimp cassarole. Great progression! Looking forward to many more American- in-Spain creations! Do tell more about the twinkly lights and banners!






  4. I love hearing about your adventures with Barclay! This casserole looks so good! Almost like shrimp fried rice redefined. Comfort food ingenuity. Enjoy your stay in Spain!

  5. I really like this recipe! Added some paprika and a bit of garlic salt but next time I’d add chorizo when cooking the onions and peppers. It needs a little additional spice but sets up very well if any leftovers remain!






  6. I’ve never made a casserole with shrimp before, so I must say I’m really curious to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!






  7. I made this last night! It was outstanding! I saw your post last week and had been thinking about this recipe ever since! LOVED the Alfredo sauce – so much better than something out of a jar. It was my first time making an Alfredo sauce and your instructions were spot on. This was a very easy recipe and came together quickly. The combination of flavors was great. We really enjoyed it and will be adding it to the rotation! I was told it tasted and looked like something from a restaurant. I meant to take a pic of it to share but we were so excited to eat it I forgot! This would be perfect for entertaining! Thanks for sharing and enjoy the weekend!






  8. I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I used butter and freshly grated Parmesan, but I substituted almond milk for the milk and a gluten free blend for the flour. The gf flour clumped so I had to throw it in my vitamix, but other than that it all came out perfectly. I will definitely make this again!






  9. I made your lemony lentil soup (found on spoonacular) and it was amazing!!!! :)

  10. I love Shrimp and love the way you make this recipe.






  11. Made this recipe tonight and loved it! What a great blend of flavours. I made the recipe as is with shrimp, I’m looking forward to trying it with chicken.






  12. This recipe was fun to make and tastes delicious! Love the lightened version of the Alfredo sauce! Perfect weeknight meal with busy schedules, and leftovers worked well too. Thank you for this awesome recipe! (I did it with shrimp & chicken sausage.) Delicious.






  13. Delicious! Family enjoyed and we will make again.






  14. Pros: this is a tasty dish
    Cons: it’s not what I typically think of when I think casserole and the instructions could have been clearer. I probably wouldn’t have made this recipe if I had read the instructions first; I didn’t like how the rice, shrimp, veggies, and Alfredo sauce all had to be cooked separately then combined and cooked again. I was looking for a quick and easy way to meal prep for the week and this was not it.






  15. Great recipe will make again, definitely with more of the sauce but just a little more. Also made it with mushrooms added a good taste.






  16. I used shrimp instead of chicken and 1/2 & 1/2 (cause that is what I had.) I also omitted the poultry seasoning and added more cajun cause I used the broth concentrate that you store in the fridge to make the broth and it tends to be pretty chicken-y and rich. I put the broccoli in too early and it disintegrated into the casserole like broccoli soup would have been, and that was super yummy. I used parm. It was super yummy and not something I would have thought of myself, super good!!!!! It took about 20 extra min after i added broccoli. I can use this “soup concentrate” idea to make traditional casseroles that I would otherwise skip because I don’t do canned soups. Thank you!!!!






  17. I made this CAJUN SHRIMP ALFREDO CASSEROLE for my son-in-law (who is from Louisiana). I only changed two things. I tripled the Old Bay seasoning (Cajuns need more spice) and the last 5 minutes in the oven I covered the top with fresh Parmesan (That was for my Parmesan adding to everything son-in-law). He didn’t add anything to the meal at the table when we ate it. (A WIN FOR THIS RECIPE!!!!) I am definitely making this again. He loaded up the left overs and took them with him. We loved it. As for me, I typically don’t like Alfredo sauce, but I loved this one!!!! WE LOVE THIS CAJUN SHRIMP ALFREDO CASSEROLE!!!!






  18. Would it still be as good if I made it the night before and then put it in the oven the next day?

  19. Can you make it a day ahead and bake it the next day? Also could you use pasta, instead of rice

  20. I was going to make Shrimp pasta Alfredo tonight but didn’t have any pasta. I started thinking I’d make it with rice and searched for a recipe and yours came up. I had 1lb of shrimp and 1 turkey sausage. I thought that would go nicely with this Cajun inspired dish. I used blanched green beans in place of the okra. Sautéd the sausage with the peppers and onions with seasoning. I had no old bay seasoning so used some chili powder, paprika, fresh thyme, and oregano. I also chopped in a little celery. Gosh, It was good. Thank you for the inspiration! I’ll be making this again.