We’ve all had those days when time isn’t on our side, yet we’re craving something homemade and hearty
Enter this 15-Minute Ground Beef Fried Rice: your next go-to main dish when you’re in a pinch.
It’s no secret that I love Trader Joe’s, and this dish is the perfect example of why. Trader Joe’s frozen options are great on their own, but when you spice them up a bit, they become the secret weapon for a quick, yet impressive dinner.
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice is a staple in my freezer, and when paired with lean ground beef and a few fresh ingredients, it transforms into a dish that feels both home-cooked and indulgent.
With just a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes, you’ll have a delicious dinner containing just 370 calories and an impressive 30 grams of protein.
How to Whip Up Ground Beef Fried Rice in No Time
For this dish, we’re utilizing three main ingredients:
- Trader Joe’s Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice
- Gyoza Dipping Sauce
- Lean Ground Beef
I also added a little bit of diced pepper and onion to bump up the volume and micronutrients of this dish, but you can customize by adding any vegetables you’d like!
Kick things off by prepping your veggies, whichever you choose to use. I kept it simple with pepper and onion, but add any veggie of your choice to the mix.
A quick dice, and into the pan they go with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. If you want some additional flavor, use a small amount of sesame oil to fry them up (but that is optional).
Give them about 5 minutes to soften and sweeten on medium heat, then add the beef. Crumble it into the pan, season it with some additional salt and pepper, and let it sizzle until only a small amount of pink remains.
This is your flavor foundation, so don’t rush it — but remember, we’re on the clock, and in just 5 minutes, we’re ready to move onto the next step.
The hero of the hour (er, 15 minutes), Trader Joe’s Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice, joins the party along with the Gyoza Dipping Sauce. These two are a match made in kitchen heaven, giving this dish a ton of incredible flavor.
And don’t worry about thawing the frozen rice- adding cold rice to the pan is not an issue at all.
Give everything a good toss and let the skillet do its magic for another 5 minutes. What you’re doing here is letting those flavors marry, letting the rice soak up all that savory sauce, and getting everything piping hot.
Now you’re ready to serve up the easy beef fried rice! Garnish with sesame seeds or green onion for a bit of texture and, if you’re feeling saucy, an extra drizzle of that Gyoza dipping goodness.
Note: The Gyoza Dipping Sauce is light, yet packs a flavor punch, and at 30 calories for two tablespoons, it works super well in this recipe. Feel free to get creative with your sauce or meat choices — this recipe is all about flexibility and speed without skimping on nutrition or taste.
And if you don’t want to devour the entire recipe in one sitting, this ground beef fried rice holds up incredibly well as leftovers!
Meal prep in just 15 minutes? Yes, please.
Simply store any leftover rice in the fridge, then reheat in a hot skillet or the microwave when you’re ready to enjoy.
When I have leftovers, I like to crack an egg into the pan to have a scrambled egg mixed into the cooked rice for a truly authentic fried rice experience.
There are lots of ways you can customize this fried rice recipe to fit your style:
- Switch up the protein and make shrimp fried rice or chicken fried rice.
- Add broccoli to make broccoli fried rice with a ton of volume and low calories.
- Swap the rice for frozen cauliflower rice for an even lower-calorie option.
And those are just the beginning- there are no rules for this beef fried rice recipe.
More Quick Dinner Ideas
There’s nothing quite like being able to whip up a delicious dinner in under 30 minutes flat, especially after a long day of school or work. If you’re in the need of more quick meals, try these on for size:
- Healthy Sweet Asian Turkey Meatballs in 15 Minutes
- 20-Minute Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Ginger Soba Noodle Stir Fry in 20 Minutes
- Leftover Pulled Pork Carnitas
15-Minute Ground Beef Fried Rice
Sometimes you just don't have a lot of time to prepare an elaborate meal and you need some shortcuts. Thanks to frozen fried rice, we can easily throw together a delicious protein-packed meal in just 15 minutes (while spicing it up, of course).
Ingredients
- 1lb Lean Ground Beef (I use 93/7)
- 1 Cup Diced Onion (One Small Onion)
- 1 Cup Diced Bell Pepper (One Pepper)
- 1 Bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice (or comparable 1lb bag of frozen rice)
- 1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Gyoza Dipping Sauce (or any lite stir fry sauce of choice)
Instructions
- Dice up your pepper and onion and add to the pan over medium heat with a dash of salt & pepper. Allow the pepper and onion to cook down for about 5 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Add the beef to the pan, break it apart, and sprinkle with another dash of salt and pepper. Allow the beef to cook until it is mostly brown with some pink remaining (about 5 minutes).
- Add the full bag of frozen fried rice to the pan along with about 1/2 cup of the sauce (if you prefer extra sauce, you can add more as a topping at the end).
- Mix everything and allow the beef to fully cook through and the fried rice to heat through, which should only take another 5 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking.
- Add to a bowl or plate, top with sesame seeds and additional sauce (if desired) and enjoy!
Notes
- The Trader Joe's Gyozo dipping sauce works incredibly well for the sauce in this recipe. It's light, with only 30 calories for 2 tablespoons, and provides so much flavor. You can use soy sauce, oyster sauce, or any other sauce of your choice, just try to stick with one that is not too heavy.
- If you have leftover rice, like plain white rice or jasmine rice, you can use that for this fried rice recipe as well. Add some peas, carrots, and corn to your rice and it'll be ready to go.
- This recipe will work with any type of ground meat, like ground chicken or pork, depending on your preferences.
- To give this more of a fresh fried rice feel, you can also crack an egg or two into the pan towards the end and scramble it up before plating.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1/4 of RecipeAmount Per Serving Calories 370Total Fat 11gCarbohydrates 38gProtein 30g
