This ground turkey fried rice is a lightened up version of the delicious class made with lean ground turkey, brown rice and plenty of veggies!
How to make ground turkey fried rice
If you are looking for a shortcut, swap brown rice out for white rice or even cauliflower rice.
To cook brown rice, combine 1 part brown rice with 2 parts water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat all the way to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the pot from the heat but leave covered to sit for another 10 minutes to finish steaming the rice.
To make the ground turkey fried rice, combine lean ground turkey with your favorite veggies in a deep pan. I like to use carrots, bell pepper, onion along with some ginger and garlic. I add plenty of seasoning as well. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
Add the cooked rice and some additional flavors like soy sauce, rice vinegar and a teensy bit of fish sauce and cook until the rice is heated through.
How to make the scrambled tofu
I often make this with egg instead of tofu. Make a well in the center of the rice, add 2 beaten eggs and cook, stirring frequently until cooked through. Stir into the rest of the rice.
To use tofu instead of eggs, press the water out of half of a block of tofu by placing it between paper towels with a plate or something heavy on top. Use a fork to crumble up the drained half block of tofu and mix in a little bit of turmeric, both for flavor and color.
Follow the same instructions as cooking the egg for the tofu.
Common questions
- Can I make this dish vegetarian or vegan? Yes! Just leave out the ground turkey and egg. The tofu adds plenty of protein.
- How can I make this ahead? The rice can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to two days. The whole dish also reheats in the microwave or in a pan very well.
- How can I make this more kid-friendly if my child won’t eat vegetables? You can change it up by adding or leaving out any vegetables you want.
My 4 year old will try anything and really loves carrots, rice and ground meat of any kind. My 2 year old only likes the rice and turkey. I like to pull a small portion of rice and turkey aside for her. Then I give her a few vegetables on the side just to be optimistic.
Turkey Fried Rice
4
servings30
minutes40
minutesThis ground turkey fried rice is a lightened up version of the delicious class made with lean ground turkey, brown rice and plenty of veggies!
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked brown rice*
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 lb ground turkey
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 inch ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes**
2 Tablespoons Mirin or rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 eggs or 1/2 block extra firm tofu***
Sriracha, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions and / or lime wedges, to serve
Directions
- COOK THE RICE
- Combine the brown rice and water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for another 10 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing with a fork.
- MAKE THE FRIED RICE
- Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large, deep pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the turkey, carrots, onion, bell pepper, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until the turkey is completely cooked with no pink remaining, stirring frequently. This usually takes around 8-10 minutes for me.
- Add the cooked rice, vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce and cook for another 2 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the eggs or tofu. If you are using eggs, combine them in a small dish and beat with a fork. If using tofu instead of eggs, drain the excess water from the tofu by pressing it between paper towels. Use a fork to crumble the tofu.
- Make a well in the center of the pan and add either the eggs or the tofu. Use a fork to scramble the eggs or tofu as it cooks for 2-3 minutes and then stir into the rest of the rice.
- Serve with sriracha, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, fresh cilantro, sliced green onions and lime wedges.
Notes
- *You can use any leftover, cooked rice here, or you can use white rice or cauliflower rice instead. White rice should cook about 20 minutes, and cauliflower rice will just cook in the pan with the rest of the vegetables.
- **I usually add this to individual bowls when serving if the kids are eating it. They don’t love spicy.
- ***I use tofu because my son is allergic to eggs. I like to add a little ground turmeric to the tofu for flavor and to make it look more like scrambled eggs.