Southern-Style Shrimp & Cheesy Rice
with Cornbread Swirls & Bacon Jam
- Milk
- Shellfish
- Wheat
This Southern-style dish packs premium proteins and five-star flavor all in one comforting, homestyle bowl. Fresh tomatoes, onion, and Cajun spices simmer with shrimp for a light spring stew, mingled with lusciously creamy arborio rice. On the side, freshly baked cornbread swirls are perfect for scooping up a salty-sweet bacon jam, dipping in the stew, or enjoying on their own. A springy scallion garnish welcomes the season with a green pop of freshness!
Ingredients
½ cup
Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Bacon
1 unit
Tomato Paste
1 unit
Onion
4 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Shrimp
(Contains: Shellfish)
1 tablespoon
Cajun Spice Blend
11 ounce
Pillsbury Cornbread Swirls
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Smoked Paprika
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
3 unit
Red Pepper Jam
2 unit
Tomato
2 unit
Scallions
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
4 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
¼ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange bacon* 1-2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Roast on top rack until crispy, 10-12 minutes. • Once bacon is crispy, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop. • Wash and dry produce. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Halve, peel, and finely dice onion. Dice tomatoes into ½-inch pieces.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring, until translucent, 30-60 seconds. • Stir in 3 cups water (6 cups for 4 servings), garlic powder, two of the stock concentrates (four for 4), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. TIP: If liquid evaporates before rice is tender, add a splash more water.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine jam, scallion whites, chopped bacon, half the paprika, and 1½ TBSP water (3 TBSP for 4 servings). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 45 seconds. • Uncover and stir bacon jam; chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Heat a large drizzle of oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 8-10 minutes. • Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Cajun Spice, and remaining paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften, 3-5 minutes. • Stir in 2 cups water (4 cups for 4 servings), remaining stock concentrates, and ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4). Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes. • Meanwhile, rinse shrimp* under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. • Once stew has slightly thickened, stir in shrimp. Return to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 5 minutes more.
• Open tube of cornbread swirls; separate and place 1-2 inches apart on a second baking sheet. Bake on top rack until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. • Once rice is almost tender, stir in cream sauce base. Return to a simmer and cook until rice is creamy and liquid has mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Divide cheesy rice and stewed shrimp between bowls in separate sections. Dollop rice with as much bacon jam as you like. Garnish shrimp with scallion greens. Serve with cornbread swirls on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the rich, complex flavors, especially the cheesy rice and bacon jam; some found the shrimp stew bland.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was time-consuming with many steps, but most felt the delicious result was worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Consider reducing water in the shrimp stew for a thicker sauce; some added extra spice for more heat 🌶️.
- Portions: Generous servings; many had leftovers or found it enough for 3-4 people instead of 2.
- Texture: Some found the sauce too watery; a few thought the cheesy rice was too creamy or sticky.
Reviews from our home cooks
If we could rate this one 10 stars, we would. The cheesy rice was an excellent accompaniment to the well-seasoned shrimp and that bacon jam was to die for! This is definitely one we'll order again - great job Hello Fresh!
So good. I loved the bacon jam. I did feel like these could have been two different meals one being the stew and cornbread and the other just the cheesy rice with the bacon jam. Please add the cheesy rice and bacon jam as an add on I want to make this as a side.
I wasn't sure about this one at first but it was fantastic. The red pepper bacon jam with the cheesy rice was a delicious combo. The shrimp stew was tasty too.
Please inject that bacon jam into my face omg YUM!! Cheesy rice was great. The shrimp was kinda bland compared to everything else. Could be better more spicy since the rest is so sweet.
Loved this meal! Finally a traditional southern dinner made the right way. The Shrimp Creole was perfect! Cheesey risotto was yummy too, though i would have preferred cheese grits. Cornbread was decent, but to me it seemed too dry
New flavors like red pepper bacon jam and Cajun stew are just amazing! Maybe the shrimp stew didn't need two cups of water; one and a half would make it a thicker sauce to my preference. But tasted great. And this was my first time cooking rice in a skillet and it really worked!
The bacon jam for the cheesy rice was exceptional. This meal was labor intensive but the results were delicious
This meal was unique and very delicious! Loved the cheesy rice and the shrimp in the tomato sauce was very tasty. Says it takes 45 minutes. Took me 1.5 hour.
Had expected the shrimp to be spicier. The tomato sauce never thickened, I had to add cornstarch. The bacon jam didn't really work with cheesy rice or on cornbread swirls. If tomato sauce had been spicier, then sweetness of jam would have been good.
The meal was average overall. The rice and bacon jam was EXCELLENT. The southern style shrimp was okay. The meal was fairly good together. It is not a meal that I would probably purchase again but was definitely worth trying.
