I hate food waste with a passion, so I’ve come up with some pretty awesome (and delicious) ways to repurpose leftover food in ways that are way more appealing that simply reheating it.
This fried rice is one of our family’s go-to recipes. During some seasons, we have it weekly. It’s a great way to use up any leftover meat, including:
- grilled, baked, or rotisserie chicken
- sausage
- Easter ham
- Thanksgiving turkey
- shrimp
You can also use almost any veggies, including:
- peas (frozen, fresh, or snap peas)
- green beans
- corn
- carrots
Go through your fridge and freezer and see what you can come up with – and then throw together one of the easiest, cheapest, and most crowd-pleasing recipes around.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 C. chopped cooked chicken or ham (or any other meat you want to get rid of)
- 4 C. cold cooked medium- or long-grain rice, grains separated (I actually freeze leftover rice from other meals, and then thaw it when I make fried rice)
- 4 eggs
- 1 C. chopped carrots
- 1 C. frozen peas
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger (I use the bottled kind)
- 2 green onions, chopped – white and green parts divided (optional)
- 1 -2 tsp soy sauce
- vegetable or canola oil
- salt & pepper
PREP:
This dish comes together pretty quickly, so you need to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. Before you turn the stove on, make sure:
- all of your veggies are chopped
- your garlic is minced
- your ginger is grated
- your meat is chopped
- your eggs are scrambled in a separate bowl, and seasoned with salt/pepper
I also recommend that you mix a small bowl of salt and pepper at a 2-1 ratio for easy seasoning as you cook. In fact, I keep one on my counter at all times – it’s a fantastic time-saver in the kitchen.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat about 1 tsp. oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
2. While heating the oil get a large bowl and set it next to the stove.
3. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the chopped onion. Season with a little salt & pepper. Saute for 3-4 minutes until soft.
4. Add the garlic and ginger; saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
5. Add the meat, carrots, peas, (or any other veggies) and white parts of the green onion. Season with salt & pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the meat is heated through and the veggies are crisp-tender (not mushy). If you’re using fresh, never-cooked veggies you’ll need to cook them closer to the 4-minute mark. If you’re using previously-cooked veggies or frozen veggies, you’ll probably be okay with 1-2 minutes of cook time to simply heat them through.
6. Empty the contents of the pan into the large bowl next to the stove.
7. Add 1-2 tsp. oil to the now-empty pan. Reduce the heat to medium.
8. Add the eggs to the pan. Allow them to set up a bit and then scramble them, breaking up large chunks. When fully cooked, scrape them into the bowl next to the stove with the meat and veggies.
9. Add another 2 tsp. oil to the again-empty pan and increase the heat back to medium-high. When the oil is heated, add the cooked rice, breaking up any chunks. Season liberally with salt & pepper and let it sit for 2 minutes to develop a crust on the rice.
10. If the rice is too dry, add a little more oil to coat it. Move the rice around, allowing it to stir-fry for another 2-4 minutes.
11. Add the rest of the cooked contents from the large bowl back into the pan and mix well.
12. Mix in 1-2 tsp. of soy sauce; season with additional salt, pepper, or soy sauce to taste.
13. Garnish with the green onion tops for serving.
This recipe is incredibly forgiving. Play around with the ingredients, cook times, and ratios. Use what you have and enjoy creating a delicious – and cheap – meal from leftovers in your fridge and freezer. What’s your fave way to use up leftovers?
