It’s still chilly outside so comfort food meals are still a thing, like this Baked Salmon and Wild Rice Casserole!
I love turkey and I had an awesome time over Thanksgiving but now I’m ready to slap my taste buds back to reality and tell them that there’s more to life than white meat! So what’s the next best thing…actually better than turkey?
It’s salmon guys, and judging by this Skillet Seared Salmon, Salmon Tacos, and Salmon Spinach Pappardelle, you might say I have a thing for salmon.
This is a thick creamy casserole packed with nutty-tasting wild rice, potatoes, carrots, and chunks of flaky fresh salmon. All of the ingredients are mixed in a creamy cajun sauce, topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan and baked in the oven until all bubbly and crispy on top.
That’s it, you should make it. Trust me on this one, anytime I feed the family something and their heads are almost on the plate I know it’s a winner.
Have an epic week!
Baked Salmon and Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups finely diced potato
- 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 1/4 pounds salmon, skin removed and cut into 1 inch squares
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose four
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 tbsp of your favorite Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. You will also need a 13 x 9-inch deep baking pan or equivalent.
- In a large pan heat the oil and add the diced potato. Cook until the potatoes feel soft when poked with a sharp knife.
- Add the leeks, carrots, and garlic. Stir and cook for about 6-8 minutes.
- Turn of the heat and add the wild rice and salmon chunks. Set aside.
- In another pan, melt the butter and then add the flour over a medium heat.
- Stir well until the mixture gets thick.
- Gradually add the stock whisking well after each addition to avoid lumps.
- Bring to a simmer and start to gradually add the half and half.
- Simmer for 5-6 minutes then add the cajun seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Pour the sauce into the pan with the salmon and rice and gently mix everything together.
- Transfer the whole casserole to a 13 x 9 inch baking pan or equivalent and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and the edges are bubbling.
- Serve at once.
Nutrition
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I agree! I’m ready for seafood and lighter meals. I haven’t made much with wild rice but this casserole certainly has me wanting to run to the store and pick up a package. Great photos!!
Gaby Dalkin says
You don’t need to ask me twice to have comfort food!! :P
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
What a great upgrade to chicken and rice casserole! The salmon change up sounds perfect and I can’t wait to try it out!
Maria says
My boys love salmon! This will be a hit!
Erin says
Comfort food to the max!
Jeanine Donofrio says
Love this cozy non-turkey dish :)
Heather Christo says
I love any recipe with Salmon! and this one looks so easy and delicious for week nights!
Lexi says
This looks SO comforting!!!
Sue R says
I made this last night and it was fabulous! I added some mushrooms and a little fresh dill since I need too use up to mine though. Had leftovers for lunch today. The wild rice was done in my instant pot for the first time and would do that again for sure as well in the future. Thanks for the recipe!
Jaime Wellbrock says
This was savory and delicious!! I added mushrooms as well. I will most definitely be making this again. So worth a quick trip to the grocery store to get all your ingredients. Thank you for the recipe!
foodnessgracious says
Glad you liked it Jaime!!
Theresa says
This looks so good! I was looking for a salmon casserole and this was the first one with rice instead of noodles…yumm! I don’t have access to fresh salmon right now so I’m wondering about canned salmon as a substitute…I get mine from Costco and it’s good quality, but I’m not sure about amounts. Any ideas??
foodnessgracious says
HI Theresa, i think canned would be okay as long as you didn’t break it down too much and still kept it chunky.
Carrie says
Is this dish spicy?
foodnessgracious says
Hi Carrie, no this is not spicy :)
Sara says
I’ve made this a number of times – absolutely love it, thank you for the recipe!
Diana says
Not having enough of any ingredients, and not wanting to go out for them, I did a complete makeover with what I had in little amount: sweet potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, onions, garlic ,wild rice, and millet . No flour? Arrowroot powder…and evaporated milk instead of half and half…fortunately, I did have butter and Parmesan cheese. It turned out salmoncasserolicious, and a new favorite! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
foodnessgracious says
Hi Diana! That’s some genius cooking moves and glad it worked out!!
Tauri says
Hi! Is this recipe okay to freeze and bake later or is it only good if you eat it right after making it?
foodnessgracious says
Hi Tauri, I wouldn’t freeze this
Linda Bates Lawson says
I made this tonight with canned salmon as I wanted to test the recipe before buying the more expensive fresh salmon and it was delicious. My question is if when I do use fresh salmon, do you cook it before it is tossed with the vegetables and rice? Or does the 30 minutes in the oven cook the salmon.
foodnessgracious says
Hi Linda, glad you liked it. You’d add cubes of raw salmon and it’ll cook in the oven. Just be sure they aren’t too large.
Ellen says
Thank you for this recipe! I live in Alaska and have a big freezer full of salmon and am always looking for a great new recipe. I’ve made this twice already (halving it both times), and absolutely loved it! It is delicious and easy and will definitely be in my rotation!
foodnessgracious says
Thanks Ellen! You’re so lucky to be with such an awesome fish!