Go into most Chinese buffet restaurants and you’ll see a wide range of foods that have nothing to do with China. The tradition for Chinese-American restaurants has been geared towards American dishes and recipes that combine aspects of both cuisines. Alongside pizza, fried chicken, and salads, at some Chinese buffets you’ll also find this crab casserole.

It’s more of a dip and goes perfectly on some crusty bread. But, you can also serve this on top of rice.

The creamy texture in this casserole comes down to the sour cream, cream cheese, and mayonnaise in the the mix, as well as some cheddar cheese. These perfectly offset the fresh taste of the green peppers and celery. And, if crab rangoon has taught us anything it’s that crab and creamy flavors go really well together.

For this recipe I used canned lump crab meat, but you can use imitation crab if you prefer. Each will have a somewhat different texture once it’s baked, but either of them work great for this dish.

The casserole is infused with shredded cabbage, which lightens up an otherwise rich recipe. Before baking don’t forget to sprinkle some additional cheddar cheese on top.

Take it out of the oven when it’s completely melted and just beginning to brown around the edges.

If you’ve got a hankering for some Chinese buffet crab casserole then this recipe really hits the spot like nothing else. If you’ve never tried it then you’re in for a treat!