ABSTRACT Mixed-morphology supernova remnants (MMSNRs) are characterized by a shell-like morphology in the radio and centrally peaked thermal emission in the X-ray band. The nature of this peculiar class of supernova remnants (SNRs) remains a controversial issue. In this work, by pairing the predictions of stellar evolution theory with two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, we show that the mixed morphology properties of an SNR can arise by the interaction of the SNR with the circumstellar medium shaped by a red supergiant progenitor star, embedded in a dense environment. As a study case, we model the circumstellar medium formation and the subsequent interaction of the SNR with it of a $15~\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$ progenitor star. The reflected shock, formed by the collision of the SNR with the density walls of the surrounding circumstellar cavity, accumulates and re-shocks the supernova ejecta at the centre of the remnant, increasing its temperature so that the gas becomes X-ray bright. Such a formation mechanism may naturally explain the nature of MMSNRs resulted from Type II supernovae without the demand of additional physical mechanisms and/or ambient medium inhomogeneities. We discuss alternative evolutionary paths that potentially could be ascribed for the MMSNR formation within the framework of the reflected shock model.