Benefits of living in a small town: open spaces, fresh country air, lower cost of living, no crowds, peace and quiet. Ahhhh.
Negatives of living in a small town: No good Chinese take-out places :-(
By now, you know that I’m not much of a “take-out” girl, but sometimes, the mood strikes and you MUST HAVE ALL THE CHINESE FOOD. You know what I’m talking about. But when the mood struck the other night, my choices were to a) drive an hour round trip to get said Chinese food, or b) make it my dang self. I chose option b.
Ten minutes. Six ingredients (and you probably already have all of them). Fresh, delicious, and much healthier than take-out, this Veggie Fried Rice is life changing. LIFE CHANGING.
The best part about this recipe is how flexible it is. I used a zucchini (because I happened to have one) and carrots/celery (because I always have them) for my veggie base. You can omit the zucchini or add corn, peas, broccoli, or other vegetables you have available. Usually fried rice is a side dish, but add another egg or two or maybe some meat, tofu, or shelled edamame and you’ve got yourself a protein-filled meal. If you’re feeling fancy, spice it up with some fresh ginger, crushed red pepper, or toasted sesame oil. The possibilities are endless!
Now, I make the claim that this recipe takes only ten minutes- and it does. But only if you have cooked rice. You can usually buy cooked rice at the store (just heat it up in the microwave), but I have another suggestion. Next time you are cooking rice, make a bit extra. Stick it in an airtight container or bag, and freeze it. That way, you’ll have cooked rice ready to go for fried rice any time the mood strikes!
For a vegan option, substitute the eggs with soft tofu. And one last trick: don’t use too much salt in the beginning, since you’ll be adding a good amount of salty soy sauce toward the end.
Recipe below!
10 Minute Veggie Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 rib celery halved and thinly sliced
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups cooked rice white or brown is fine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Saute zucchini, carrot, and celery in olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a large heavy skillet until starting to brown (about 5 minutes). Season with pepper and just a little salt.
- Meanwhile, scramble eggs in a small bowl.
- Add eggs to veggies and stir until cooked like scrambled eggs.
- Add cooked rice (1.5 cups) and soy sauce (2 tablespoons) to the skillet; stir until heated through and coated.
Notes
- For a vegan option, substitute the eggs with soft tofu (or omit them).
- Add meat, more eggs, or shelled edamame to make a complete protein filled meal!
- Don't have zucchini? No problem. You can omit it, or you can substitute it with another veggie you like.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Nina
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE I HAVE EVER MADE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE OH MY GOD!! I used brown rice to make it a healthy meal and normally I don’t even like brown rice, and with this recipe I couldn’t even taste that it was brown. This is literally the best meal I have ever made. Thank you!!!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it!!! And I’ll counter with: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST COMMENTS ON MY BLOG THAT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!! This totally made my day :-) Thanks so much for your kind words, Nina!
Nina
Oh thank you! I will be checking out more of your recipes for sure :)
Kaylee
Just tried this tonight with zucchini, carrots and a half a red bell pepper with the toasted sesame oil… I would love to try it with some fresh ginger next time but I loved it! Thanks so much!
Elizabeth
I usually make my fried rice with fresh ginger, but alas- I was out when I made this one! Love that you added the bell pepper- I bet that added a lot of flavor.
Amanda Woolf
Interesting. I have cauliflower fried rice on my menu plan for this week, but think I’ll definitely be mixing it up with some zucchini, I hadn’t thought to add that. Toasted cashews would also be great with this. Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth
Love the idea of making this into cauliflower rice, and adding cashews is a great idea for some extra crunch and protein!