Leftover rice, peas and carrots and a chopped cooked egg are the basis for an easy and healthy fried rice side dish. Add your favorite veggies like sautéed mushrooms and asparagus for additional flavor and nutrients.
Healthy Fried Rice – How to Make a Healthy Side Dish using Rice and Vegetables
We could eat fried rice with just about anything, beef, chicken, pork or shrimp! Actually, we eat fried rice for breakfast often, and find it’s a delicious way to start the day. It’s also a great way to use up those leftover vegetables and leftover rice. Toss in some cooked eggs, vegetables and a few shakes of soy sauce and you have yourself an amazingly easy side dish.
Save money on takeout and make your own healthy fried rice!
What’s so healthy about fried rice? Fried rice gives you so many opportunities to sneak in vegetables basically undetected. A little cabbage here, a little kale there, you get the idea. Here are some vegetables that are easy to add to fried rice in small chopped up pieces:
- mushrooms
- kale (chopped very small)
- green onions
- red pepper
- asparagus
- zucchini
- cauliflower
- spinach
- green beans
- chopped broccoli
If you don’t want to buy a big head of cabbage, purchase a bag of prepacked coleslaw mix and use a portion of that instead.
If you want to go gluten free, use Tamari instead of regulator Soy Sauce. Organic Tamari would be even better. Tamari is made with 100% whole soybeans and no wheat!
Cook Your Rice in Advance
What’s the number one rule for making fried rice? Make sure your rice is well-chilled before starting. Day-old rice is perfect if you can remember to make the rice in advance. Making extra rice for Monday’s Rice Bowl dinner is a perfect way to create two meals out of one. Simply use the extra rice on Thursday or Friday to make this delicious and healthy fried rice.
If you plan on making just fried rice for dinner, then cook your rice at least one day in advance. You will need about 4 cups of cooked rice for this recipe, so cook the correct amount of rice according to package directions.
Ingredients Needed for this Healthy Fried Rice Recipe:
- Sesame oil
- Small onion
- Cloves of garlic
- Organic eggs
- Green peas
- Carrots
- Leftover cooked rice
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Dried ginger
Your family will love this Healthy Fried Rice Recipe that is good for them!
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil divided
- 1 small onion peeled and chopped fine
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 organic eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup green peas thawed
- 1/2 cup diced carrots diced small
- 4 cups of leftover cooked rice cold
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
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Add a couple teaspoons of oil to a large skillet and let it get hot. Add the beaten eggs and let them cook until they just start to get firm. Swish the pan back and forth to make sure the eggs are in a thin layer.
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Flip the eggs over using a spatula and cook for about 20-30 seconds on the other side.
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Remove the eggs from the pan and cut into small pieces.
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Add the additional oil to the pan and saute the onions, garlic and carrots until the onions are tender. Add a little additional oil if necessary.
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Add the peas to the pan and lightly salt & pepper.
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Add the rice to the pan and cook breaking up chunks of rice with your spatula.
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Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and sugar.
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Sprinkle sauce over rice.
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Stir and sauté rice for about 2-3 minutes. (Remember to keep the pan nice and hot.)
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Add the eggs back to the pan and stir through.
How Long Does Cooked Rice Last in the Refrigerator?
Place your cooked rice in an airtight container and it will last about 3-4 days.
Can You Freeze Rice?
yes, just let the rice cook and then scoop into a freezer bag. Lay the bag flat and freeze for up to a month. You can also freeze leftover fried rice. Just cool leftovers and place in a freezer bag.
Make Fried Rice a Meal and Add Some Protein
Fried rice is a great side dish, but you can add some leftover chicken or beef to make this a complete meal. Not a meat lover? Add some sauteed shrimp!
Let us know your favorite Healthy Fried Rice ingredients! You will also love this Spanish Rice Recipe that is quick to get on the table as a delicious side dish. Love Asian Dishes? Try Our Lo Mein Noodles!
