Does fried rice ever not hit the spot? If you’re like me, the answer is definitely no. It always hits. So, when I recently made my newest obsession, my Beef Fried Rice, I immediately had to share it with everyone. Based on the comments I got on the reel I made for this recipe, it’s quickly become your obsession too, and nothing makes me happier. TBH, I’m kind of not surprised though. This Beef Fried Rice is the most delicious, easy, high-protein and veggie-packed weeknight meal. Not to mention, it reheats great too. I got you, my meal prep girlies. There’s not a chance you won’t love this as soon as you take your first bite!

FRIED RICE ON REPEAT

I’m honestly not kidding when I say this Beef Fried Rice has been my latest obsession. Bridger and I have quite literally been eating it on repeat since I first made it. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal (or really lunch or dinner any day of the week) when you want to eat healthy, but don’t want to cook, but also are craving takeout, this is the meal for you. It’s incredible and I can’t get over how high-protein, veggie-packed and flavorful this dish is. Plus, it’s made in one pan which makes for an easy cleanup, and I love that for us all. We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet: you probably already have most of the ingredients prepped or in your fridge. So many wins!

FLAVORS, SEASONINGS, AND A NOT-SO-SECRET SECRET INGREDIENT

For starters, I almost always have some leftover rice in the fridge, along with cooked ground meat. Usually, that ground meat is seasoned with taco seasoning, which surprisingly tastes really good in this recipe. I guess you can say the taco seasoning is my now not-so-secret, secret ingredient! Between the ground beef I use here, along with a couple eggs whisked in, this makes for a nutritionally complete high-protein meal.

This is a fantastic, healthy and easy meal to whip up. It’s a great dish whether you take the “emptying the fridge” approach (gotta work with what you’ve got sometimes!), using whatever vegetables you have on hand, or you feel like a quick trip to the grocery store. I used a few of my go-to veggies that we usually keep stocked: carrots, broccolini, peppers, onions and frozen peas. All of which offer a ton of nutritional benefits and even more flavor and texture. The subtle sweetness from the carrots perfectly compliments the slight spice and smokiness from the diced Anaheim peppers. And the peas add more color, texture and sweet and savory flavors – a staple fried rice ingredient.

Now I know broccoli is another standard fried rice ingredient, but since this is the RGE Beef Fried Rice recipe, it’ll come as a surprise to no one that I used broccolini instead. As a cruciferous vegetable, broccolini is high in fiber, as well as calcium and magnesium, which help to regulate your blood pressure. It also has almost 4x the amount of vitamin A when compared to broccoli. Nutrient-packed, to say the least! Stir all of those veggies together with the rice, ground beef, eggs, tamari (gf soy sauce), minced garlic and ginger, and it’s guaranteed to hit the spot every time.

NO MORE TAKEOUT

We love simple and delicious, and that’s exactly what this Beef Fried Rice delivers. Add some green onion on top and you might as well delete your takeout apps now. There’s no going back once this Beef Fried Rice has made its way into your weekly rotation. Warning: you might want to make a double batch because it’s all you’ll think about eating.

And if you’re looking for more high-protein dishes to incorporate into your meal planning, check out my High-Protein recipe tab.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:

• Extra virgin olive or avocado oil
• Large onion, diced
• Large carrots, peeled and diced
• Broccolini, trimmed and chopped
• Pepper (I used Anaheim), diced
• Minced garlic
• Minced ginger
• Ghee or grass-fed butter
• Rice (I like organic basmati)
• Pasture-raised eggs
• Grass-fed organic ground meat (I used beef that’s seasoned, cooked & leftover from the night before)
• Taco seasoning (I like Siete)
• Sesame oil
• Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• Frozen peas
• Ground pepper
• Sea salt

Toppings:

• Green onion, chopped
• Salt & pepper
• Red chili flakes

HOW TO MAKE BEEF FRIED RICE

Note: For this recipe, I used leftover rice and ground beef that I cooked the night before. If making fresh rice, cook according to instructions and timed so that it’s ready to add where noted below. If making fresh ground meat, then at the same time as you add the veggies, season (if desired, or let the sauces in the fried rice season it at the end) and cook your raw, ground meat in a separate, heated skillet. Remember to continue stirring and breaking up the ground meat into similar size pieces as it’s cooking, to ensure the meat cooks evenly.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil on medium-hot. Add onion to cook for a minute. Add in all veggies, garlic and ginger, toss, and let cook for 5 minutes.

Add in rice and ghee, then stir, breaking up any chunks of leftover rice. Pour in sesame oil and tamari and stir for 2 minutes.

Create an empty cavity in the center of the pan, spray with oil, then crack in 2 eggs. Gently start whisking with your spatula and slowly start adding in the mixture to the eggs.

Once fully combined, pour in your ground meat (leftover, or cooked fresh), add salt and pepper, stir, add peas, and let cook for 5 more minutes on medium to high heat.

Once hot, it’s ready to serve. Top with green onion, cracked pepper, salt, if needed, and red chili flakes if using. Enjoy!

RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS 

I made this with leftover basmati rice and ground beef from the night before, but you can definitely cook it fresh! Sub with whichever rice and ground meat you prefer. I like to make a big batch of rice for the week, it makes heating up or adding to stir fry’s super quick. Adjust the amount of rice you use based on your fitness goals or dietary needs.

If you cook the ground meat fresh, I definitely recommend adding taco seasoning like I did (I love Siete), but you can also choose not to season it and just let the sauces in the fried rice bring all the flavor when you mix it in. For bigger chunks of ground meat, just chop it a little less finely with your wooden spoon. 

This is a great dish for emptying the fridge, so you can essentially use whichever vegetables you already have or are about to go bad. Omit the garlic or ginger if you prefer, and if you’re not gluten-free, you can use regular soy sauce instead of tamari. Also instead of tamari, you could use coconut aminos, which is another great gluten-free soy sauce alternative. A tip if opting for coconut aminos: it’s less salty and savory than tamari, so you may want to use a little more, for flavor.

SHOP THIS RECIPE:

WHAT GIVES FRIED RICE ITS TASTE?

What gives fried rice that signature taste is a combination of sauces and seasonings. I’d say the soy sauce, or tamari, in this case, combined with the sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger, help to bring that restaurant or takeout-like taste we all know and love. Depending how spicy you like your food, you could even add in sriracha sauce or chili pepper for a little kick.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BROCCOLINI AND BROCCOLI?

Broccoli has a thicker stem and larger head. Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli, and also belongs to the cabbage family. Broccolini’s stems are longer, firmer, thinner and more tender. I’ve also found broccolini a lot easier to digest, especially when you slice in half lengthwise, top to bottom (it cooks faster this way, too). No matter which brocc you choose, you can’t go wrong thanks to all of the nutrients both veggies have to offer.

LOOKING FOR MORE EASY, HIGH-PROTEIN MEALS?

One Pan Enchilada Skillet 

20-Minute Honey Sesame Chicken 

15-Minute High-Protein Lunch Bowl 

Thai Basil Beef Lettuce Wraps 

Healthy Mongolian Beef

Click here to watch the reel I made of this recipe 🙂