A low carb cajun shrimp casserole that contains the cajun holy trinity and plump shrimp in a rich and creamy sauce over cauliflower rice.
Holidays at my Granny’s house were always special. She loved cooking and I remember going to her house at Christmas and eating a gorgeous shrimp casserole and her famous coconut cake that looked beautiful and tasted amazing.
My Granny has been in heaven for many years now and oh how I wish that I could talk to her again. To let her know that as an adult, I share her love for cooking and baking. So when I found her Shrimp Vegetable Casserole in an old church cook book the other day, I just had to make it.
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Granny’s Shrimp and Vegetable Casserole
Old church cookbooks are just an absolute dream. I love the classic recipes and simplicity of the books. No pictures. Just simple recipes written out by the ladies of the church. Their names signed with pride under each casserole or icebox pie.
Now, I’m not sure how my beautiful southern grandmother would feel about me changing up this recipe to make it keto and low carb friendly. Cauliflower rice did not exist when she was here on Earth with us and I have a feeling it would not have made her must eat list. However, she did like to tell you about her diet. She called it “reducing” so maybe she would have enjoyed it. I took a risk by creating a low carb cajun shrimp casserole inspired by her recipe and it turned out great.
Don’t get me wrong, I love her version with some delicious white rice to soak up that decadent shrimp sauce. But I can only enjoy that about once a year if I want to fit into my jeans that I have been working so hard to get in after baby #2.
Low Carb Cajun Shrimp Casserole
After a few changes to Granny’s original recipe, this easy low carb cajun shrimp casserole will meet your keto diet requirements and leave you feeling happy instead of deprived. And it is pretty enough with the red peppers and green celery and bell pepper to serve at your Christmas holiday party.
Start by thawing your shrimp if it is frozen. I bought a bag of medium size precooked, peeled and deveined shrimp from Aldi to make life very easy.
Prep the Holy Trinity
Saute the celery, onion and bell pepper in butter or olive oil. Cook it until your desired tenderness because the oven time is short and it will not soften up much during the baking time.
Cook your cauliflower rice. You can buy the steam bag and do it in the microwave or cook it on the stove top. Whichever method you choose, make sure you drain it well so that your low carb cajun shrimp casserole doesn’t get watery. I also like to toss the cooked “rice” with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. It is not necessary but I feel like it helps to make it taste a little less cauliflower-y.
Combine shrimp, sauteed vegetables and roasted red bell peppers and mix well.
In a second bowl, combine the mayo, heavy whipping cream, worcestershire, pepper and cajun seasoning.
Mix 1/2 of the mayo sauce with the cauliflower rice. Spread the rice evenly into an 8×8 or 9×9 greased casserole dish. Pour the shrimp mixture on top of the cauliflower rice. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Do not mix the layers.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
My Granny topped her casserole with bread crumbs and butter. In my low carb cajun shrimp casserole, I didn’t use bread crumbs because I am following a low carb diet. I actually meant to try it with crushed pork rinds on top but I forgot.
I did top my low carb cajun shrimp casserole with a little grated parm right before serving. Everything is better with a little cheese right?
Cooking with Old Recipes
I had such a fun time cooking my Granny’s shrimp casserole. Cooking this old family recipe gave me time to reflect and remember my sweet grandmother.
I have such fond childhood memories of sitting on the counter in her kitchen. She always had cookies or a cake for us to make with her when we visited. This was back when you could eat raw cookie dough or cake batter and not worry about dying of Salmonella (ignorance is bliss right?).
She would tell you to pour in some flour or sugar. “That’ll do” was her response when we had gotten enough of the ingredients into the bowl. To this day, I don’t know how she could eyeball the correct amounts! I can’t cook a thing without a measuring cup.
My Granny was a wife and loving mother of 4 boys, a grandmother to 5 and now has countless great grandchildren to look down on from heaven. She was a retired teacher and a member of Richland Presbyterian. She loved to cook, sew us big, poufy dresses, and work in her yard.
In loving memory of Geraldine F. Tabb
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Servings
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- 1/2 small onion (diced)
- 1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 12 oz cauliflower rice
- 1/4 cup roasted red pepper (diced)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 12 oz medium cooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp worcestershire
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Saute the celery, onions and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil until soft.
- Cook the cauliflower rice in microwave or stove top. (I mix a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper). Drain any water well.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cooked and peeled shrimp, sauteed vegetables and roasted red peppers. Mix well.
- In a second small bowl, combine mayo, heavy whipping cream, worcestershire, pepper and cajun seasoning.
- Mix 1/2 of the may sauce with the cooked cauliflower rice and spread evenly into an 8x8 or 9x9 greased casserole dish.
- Pour the shrimp and vegetable mixture on top of the cauliflower rice.
- Drizzle the remaining mayo sauce over the top of the shrimp. Do not mix the layers.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Serve with grated parmesan on top.