I’m back today with another yummy, quick, all-in-one dinner for busy weeknights.
Who doesn’t like fried rice? It’s obviously a great accompaniment to Chinese food, but my family enjoys it so much that I’ve learned it can easily be turned into a stand-alone meal. So when I have leftover protein — whether it’s shrimp, ham, ground beef, rotisserie chicken, or shredded pork — I know I’m just a pot of rice away from an easy dinner.
You know what’s just as exciting to this mama, who juggles dinner making with baby corralling, preschooler entertaining, and homework assisting? With this meal, I don’t have to worry about the added time and work that go into veggie and carb side dishes. Fried rice is an all-inclusive, one-pot-wonder.
As far as vegetables go, feel free to throw in your favorites. We like the traditional carrots and peas, but I know lots of people might enjoy green onions as well. I find that grating the carrots allows me to sneak in extras, because the shredded pieces cook down quite a bit and are hardly noticeable by children-who-may-otherwise-pick-them-out in the final dish. But if you don’t have an issue with persnickety offspring, use frozen diced carrots if that’s easier.
On this particular night I made this recipe with white rice, but I often use brown rice and it turns out tasty as well. And while I diced up a hunk of leftover ham here, I honestly can’t decide on my favorite type of meat to add to this dish. Beef fried rice ends up tasting totally different than shrimp fried rice, but my family loves them both.
Another bonus of this recipe is that any of its components may be tweaked to your liking. If you prefer more or less of anything, adjust away. If you reduce a particular ingredient, just be sure you adjust the soy sauce accordingly so that you don’t end up with too much sodium. In the same way, if you use a salty protein like ham or shrimp, you may want to initially decrease the soy sauce and then add it back to taste. It’s always easy to add more, but it’s pretty much impossible to take it away.
I hope this provides another recipe for your dinner repertoire that’s fast, uncomplicated, appealing to all ages, and undeniably delicious. Enjoy, y’all!
This fried rice entree is a one-pot-wonder, including the carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein for a complete meal. You may add your favorite type of meat or whatever leftovers you have on hand. Ground or shredded beef, pork, or chicken, diced ham, or shrimp are all delicious!
Ingredients
- Sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 8 ounces)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 5 cups cooked rice
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 cups ground or shredded chicken, beef, or pork, chopped shrimp, or diced ham
Instructions
- Coat a large pot set over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Cook garlic and carrots, stirring frequently, until tender. Push carrot mixture to the side of the pan and add another tablespoon of sesame oil. Add eggs in center of oil and cook as you would scrambled eggs.
- Mix carrot mixture into eggs and stir in frozen peas, cooked rice, soy sauce, and shredded/chopped meat. Turn heat to low and, stirring frequently, allow peas and meat to heat through before serving.
Notes
You may use white or brown rice. To make 5 cups of white rice, I cook 1 1/2 cups of dry rice in 3 cups of water for 20 minutes, following package directions. The water/rice ratio for brown rice is going to be slightly different and the cooking time will be approximately doubled.
You may use regular or toasted sesame oil. If you don't have it, peanut oil or canola oil would work fine, too.
I shred my carrots in the food processor. 2 cups may seem like a lot, but they cook down quite a bit. I find that by shredding them, they are hardly noticeable in the final dish and my kids don't mind eating them. You may also grate your carrots by hand, use packaged matchstick carrots, or even use frozen diced carrots.
You may use whatever type of meat you have on hand. Shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover ground beef or beef roast, shredded pork, cubed ham, chunks of shrimp...the possibilities are endless!
More quick & easy dinner recipes…
Creamy Dreamy Chicken Enchiladas
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches Au Jus
Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy
Parmesan Panko Crusted Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken & Black Bean Tacos
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff {no ‘Cream of X’ soup}
Spinach Mushroom Quesadillas with Avocado & Pepper Jack
Lara says
August 28, 2013 at 4:13 pmSounds yummy! And maybe, just maybe the little ones will eat it! Can’t wait to try it!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 28, 2013 at 10:46 pmI hope so, Lara! And if they don’t, well, that just means more for you… 😉
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
August 29, 2013 at 1:53 amBeautiful! I love fried rice. I need to make it at home. Pinned!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 29, 2013 at 2:58 amI hear you, Dorothy…once I finally made it myself at home, I wondered why it had taken me so long! Thanks so much for stopping by, and I really appreciate the pin! 🙂
tanya says
August 29, 2013 at 1:49 pmYou are right! Who doesn’t love Chinese food? My kids recently discovered fried rice. I just made a version at home, but this looks so much better! Pinning for sure!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 29, 2013 at 2:10 pmThanks so much for the pin, Tanya! I hope your kids enjoy this version of fried rice as much as mine do! 🙂
Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says
August 30, 2013 at 1:46 amMmmmm! This looks so yummy! Eating fried rice always reminds me of my grandad– he used to get it for me at his house all the time! He lives in FL now, so no more fried rice for me, but now I can make my own! Thanks, Samantha!
~Abby =)
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 30, 2013 at 3:56 amAwwww, Abby…what a sweet story! I hope you make this and it reminds you of your grandad. 🙂
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
August 30, 2013 at 4:49 pmYum, I am rice addict so always love finding rice recipes. Especially the easy ones. I love the sweetness that grated carrots bring to fried rice.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 30, 2013 at 5:03 pmI totally agree, Bintu…I love the sweet peas and carrots in contrast to the salty rice. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Kelly Stephens says
August 30, 2013 at 9:05 pmYumm! Serendipitously, I have a huge pot of leftover rice in the fridge that needs to get eaten. Thanks for sharing!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 30, 2013 at 9:27 pmSounds to me like it was meant to be, Kelly. 😉 Hope you enjoy the recipe…thanks so much for stopping by!
Julie says
August 31, 2013 at 12:49 amYou are invited to share this amazing recipe with Show Your Stuff
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 31, 2013 at 1:25 amThanks, Julie…I appreciate the invite!
Shannah @ Just Us Four says
August 31, 2013 at 1:34 amThis looks so delicious. I love fried rice but never really think to make it at home. It is so much better for you though when you can control the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe.
I would love it if you would come share this over at my Pinworthy Projects link party.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 31, 2013 at 1:58 amI totally agree, Shannah…it’s always nice to control the ingredients and know exactly what you’re eating! I appreciate the invitation to your link party…I’ll hop over and check it out. 🙂
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
August 31, 2013 at 5:56 pmHI there! Found you through Show Stopper Saturday – Link Party. I love fried rice and this one sounds delicious! Great post!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 1, 2013 at 2:04 amThanks so much, Anne! I appreciate you stopping by…I’m off to check out your site now!
Kayla @ Home Coming blog says
September 3, 2013 at 8:56 pmLooks delish. I need as many easy recipies as I can get! I’m hosting a candle giveaway on my blog that you should enter!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 4, 2013 at 1:37 amI hope you enjoy the recipe, Kayla! And thanks for the invite to check out your giveaway!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
September 7, 2013 at 12:20 amNothing beats homemade fried rice!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 7, 2013 at 1:47 amYou are so right, Chung-Ah. I like it so much that I always make quite a bit extra so that I can have leftovers for lunch the next couple of days… 🙂
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
September 7, 2013 at 1:31 amHi there. I saw this on Foodgawker and am glad to have found you. These photos are beautiful, and this looks like a great recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 7, 2013 at 2:09 amThanks so much, Andi…I appreciate your kind words and hope you enjoy the recipe if you end up trying it! Heading over to check out your site now… 🙂
Irv Stanley says
January 6, 2014 at 12:36 pmI am in the process of right now, but do not have any frozen peas, could there be any other suggestion for substitution?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
January 6, 2014 at 12:43 pmHi Irv! You can sub any vegetable that you like! Green beans, corn, broccoli…I think it will be tasty with any of those. And if you don’t have frozen, fresh works, too. Hope you enjoy it!
Irv Stanley says
January 6, 2014 at 2:31 pmIt came out perfect, except it came out darker, i think i used dark soy sauce thats why 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
January 6, 2014 at 10:04 pmI’m so happy to hear that it turned out well, Irv! Thanks for coming back to let me know. Hope your week is off to a great start! 🙂
Audrey Clark says
February 14, 2014 at 2:25 pmThank you so much for this quick dinner idea. I love Chinese Food and this way, I can save my left overs and enjoy something tastee, and beautiful.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
February 15, 2014 at 6:25 pmYou’re so welcome, Audrey! I love turning leftovers into something new. 🙂 I hope this recipe is a hit at your house, and that you’re having a great weekend!
Jenn says
August 5, 2014 at 7:46 pmYummy fried rice! Perfect addition to the pineapple/sweet and sour pork chops! Rice easy to make and love that you can use what veggies you have on hand or enjoy.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 5, 2014 at 10:26 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed this, Jenn! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know it was a hit. 🙂 Your Pineapple Sweet & Sour Pork Chops sound pretty darn good as well…I just might have to make something like that to accompany my fried rice the next time I get a craving for it! 😉
xerosyna says
March 20, 2015 at 5:40 pmThis recipe is quie good. I did it a little diferently by stirring the egg into the rice and adding tumeric as well as mushrooms. It was delicious!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
March 23, 2015 at 12:15 amGlad you enjoyed it, Xerosyna! I bet the turmeric and mushrooms made it even tastier! 🙂
Katie Jean says
April 10, 2017 at 7:23 pmJust made this for dinner and it was delicious! I used leftover rotisserie chicken and substituted 1cup frozen corn for one of the cups of peas. I also added about 4tsp hoisin sauce that I happened to have on hand. It gave it just a little more oomph.
Tanya says
July 8, 2017 at 8:38 pmDo you have to use sesame oil or would other oils such as olive or vegetable oil work?
jade edward says
July 17, 2017 at 3:05 amI think I should try this one!
RObin says
August 23, 2018 at 8:34 pmGreat recuperation! I added cabbage and water chestnuts and it was amazing ! THAnks for sharing!! Marggie