Let's talk casseroles. They are my favorite form of comfort food, my favorite form of leftovers, and I just can't imagine life without them. I grew up on all the greats---tuna noodle, chicken spaghetti (the one with Velveeta-yes, please, and thank you), lasagne, cheesy broccoli and rice, and more. So, so many more.
But, a 9x13" pan of anything in a household of two is a great way for us to never want to eat a certain recipe ever again. People tell me that if two people split one pan of lasagne in between bouts of feeding a newborn baby, we'll never want to eat lasagne again. I can definitely see that happening.
Anytime I make a casserole in this house, I either scale it down to fit in an 8x8" pan, or I put half in the freezer. One of my all-time favorite casseroles is Heidi's Wild Rice Casserole, and while I love it, I always divide it in half and put half in the freezer. It's a case of too much of a good thing.
So, this rice casserole is perfectly portioned to serve two for dinner one night, and two for lunch the next day.
This casserole hits all the high notes for me in the casserole world: creamy, hearty, and with a flavor that just gets better over time. I stirred a Cajun cream sauce into hot, cooked white rice. Old Bay seasoning is making me a little weak in the knees lately. Then, I added a bump of mascarpone cheese for creaminess, and plopped mushrooms on top to roast while the casserole baked.
As for the crab, please, be kind to yourself and buy it already cooked and cleaned. Since the snow crab claws come already cooked, so all I had to do was pop them out of the shells and stir them into the dish. I highly recommend them, but if you can't find them, any cooked crab will work great in this recipe.
Crab is pretty. The end.
A delicious and easy to make rice casserole.Dinner for Two: Cajun Rice Crab Casserole
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 727Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 1457mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 34g
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I have the exact same sentiments about casseroles! I LOVE them...but with only two people...I end up hating that recipe for ever and ever.
I love this scaled-down, crabby comfort food! Pinned!
Paula - bell'alimento says
holy cow this looks amazing. We are NEVER without Old Bay Seasoning. That would be wrong. Very wrong. This casserole is happ a nin !
Tanya Schroeder says
I love the giant mushroom caps in this casserole. Yes casseroles are very comforting. I find that even my family of 5 has hard time with a full size dish, this would fit us perfectly. And it looks crazy good!
Nicole ~ Cookng for Keeps says
YES to chicken spaghetti with velveeta! The BEST! And yes to more grow up casseroles like this. Cheesy crab + creaminess sounds like the perfect comfort meal.
Taylor says
I LOVE Old Bay, and this casserole looks AWESOME! My boyfriend is going to be very excited when I make it for him :)
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I totally agree, I love casseroles but I've got to save some for later in the freezer or I get burnt out on them! Love this cajun rice crab casserole!! Love it!
Matea says
I'm currently in a portobello mushroom craze (have you tried stuffing them with cashew cheese? Amazing!!) Can't wait to try these :)
heather @french press says
there is nothing about this casserole that I don't love - but those mushrooms on top Oh My Goodness
Alexa at Sweet Little Kitchen says
Yum! I've had my husband asking me to make hot crab dip for dinner (yep, for dinner) recently, and I think I've finally found a solution that we will both love. I guess this casserole feels just a little more wholesome to me than crab dip since it has rice and mushrooms, haha :)
Shawnna says
Yummy!! This sounds really good!!