Chinese Cauliflower fried rice casserole is a meal prep recipe that is perfect for low carb eaters. It’s freezer friendly, easy to make, and of course it’s delicious! Vegetarian and paleo recipe options.
This healthier fried rice casserole recipe is sponsored by my good friends at Eggland’s Best! Thanks for supporting the brands that help me to create more recipes for you!
Oh yes, we’re bringing back one of my favorite childhood dishes! Kinda.You see, my mom used to make Chinese food once a week, Schezwan fried rice and/or some type of stir fry I couldn’t pronounce were always on the list. Hard to pronounce as a child, yes, but not hard to eat up until I was stuffed. In other words, it was delish!
Today I’m making my version of Schezwan (Chinese) fried rice. The grown-up, better-for-you version that’s grain free, veggie packed, and meal prep friendly. #Winningatlife.
In this dish, we’re making the most out of Asian veggies by binding it together with egg. Not just egg in the casserole, but also on top. Adding eggs to a simple veggie dish boosts the protein, vitamin D, choline, and when you use Eggland’s Best organic eggs, even omega’s! More on that below.
Eggland’s Best eggs are a staple at our house for baking and meal prep, too! We use them in everything from breakfast power bowls to Sheet Pan Roasted Spring Vegetables with Baked Eggs, and cookies to breads. And since traditional fried rice has scrambled egg in it, this cauliflower fried rice casserole has eggs, too.
How do you make rice taste good and still be healthy?
Let’s face the facts; the taste of plain rice can be bland and pretty tasteless, am I right? About 13,000 years ago, somewhere in Southern China, a really smart person created Chinese fried rice. Stir frying fresh veggies with cooked white rice and a bit of oil boosts the flavor a little. But Japan is where the real flavor started. See, after fried rice made its way over to Japan, spicy sauces and scrambled egg became part of the fried rice recipe. Of course, Asian sauces are delicious but some of them are loaded with sugar.
To make it healthier, we swap out the white rice and sugary sauce for cauliflower rice and sugar-free sauce. We add eggs as a binder and for the taste, but also for the nutritional goodness. Then, instead of stir frying everything in an excess amount of oil, we bake it in casserole form, which also makes it perfect for serving a crowd.
Speaking of sauces, eggs, and rice (riced veggies) …..
This recipe for Chinese Cauliflower Fried Rice Casserole is a cross between cauliflower fried rice and Szechuan veggie stir fry. And as mentioned above, we’re binding everything together with the magic of an egg! Dishes are plain better with an egg on top, right? But they are also just so versatile when it comes to baking. In fact, they’re an essential baking ingredient, acting as the binder that holds ingredients together.
Alright, you get my point. This casserole is EGGCELLENT because of EGGS. 😉
Cauliflower Fried Rice Casserole – the Healthier Way!
This fried rice is more than just a healthier version of classic Chinese carry-out. It’s fantastic for meal prep, AND:
- A freezer friendly casserole that’s low carb, high protein, and veggie packed!
- You can use a variety of different stir fry veggies. Almost any veggie that you would add to a stir fry will work!
- The Szechuan sauce gives this dish a nice flavor. Be sure to use a gluten free brand or you can easily make your own. Feel free to substitute for any other Asian sauce that’s gluten free.
- Meal prep this on Sunday and enjoy it for dinner or lunches during the week!
Ingredients you need for this quick and healthy Asian inspired casserole!
And I bet they are already in your fridge and pantry.
- Cauliflower or any similar vegetable that you can rice (i.e broccoli rice) – See this post for HOW TO RICE VEGGIES.
- Stir Fry Veggies of choice. Mung beans are a great touch, just sayin…
- Schezwan sauce (gluten free or homemade, as mentioned above.)
- Eggland’s Best organic eggs and/or Eggland’s Best organic eggs
- Sesame oil
- Garlic and ginger
- Herbs and green onion
To make this dish you will first stir fry veggies and sauce in a wok/pan. Then you mix in the cauliflower rice and 2 eggs. Place it all in a casserole dish (I used an 8×11 dish -8×11 dish –> see this meal prep post), add 4 eggs on top and bake.
Bam! That’s it. See, so tasty and quick to make! Oh one last little tip. For runny yolk, take the casserole out 12-15 minutes into baking and slice the yolk. Then place it back in oven for 3-5 more minutes.
The result?
THIS below. OMG! Cauliflower fried rice casserole with baked eggs, well something like that. Either way, it’s heavenly.
Chinese Cauliflower Fried Rice Casserole
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Description
Chinese Cauliflower fried rice casserole is a meal prep recipe that is perfect for low carb eaters. It’s freezer friendly, easy to make, and of course it’s delicious! Vegetarian and paleo recipe options.
Ingredients
- Sesame oil for the pan
- Optional 5 ounces diced meat (pork or chicken)
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 lbs stir fry vegetables
- handful of mung bean sprouts, optional
- 1/4 cup gluten free Szechuan sauce or other gluten free chinese/asian sauce of choice
- 3 cups cauliflower rice or broccoli rice (*about 1 small to medium head of cauliflower)
- 2 Tbsp beef broth (you can skip if your veggies are less starchy. The broth just gives the casserole more flavor.)
- 6 Eggland’s Best cage free or organic eggs (2 in stir fry and 4 on top, soft baked)
Garnishes –
- chopped scallion and cilantro to top
- sesame seeds and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add 1-2 Tbsp sesame oil to a wok or large pan and heat to medium high. If you are wanting to add meat, do so here. Simply stir fry until browned and mostly cooked (in sesame oil), then remove meat and set aside. If you are making the vegetarian option, skip the browning and go straight to adding your shallot, ginger, and garlic to the wok/pan and stir fry ingredients until fragrant – about 2 minutes.
- Next add all of your stir fry veggies and sauce. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes again until well coated.
- Mix in your cauliflower rice, broth, and 2 eggs. The 2 eggs can be added to the stir fry whole, or whisked then added. Either works!
- Stir fry for an additional 3-4 minutes to create a fried cauliflower rice. All in all, the stir frying should not take longer than 10 minutes.
- Transfer wok/pan ingredients to an 8 x 11 casserole dish or baking dish.
- Crack 4 eggs on top of the casserole, spacing them out evenly. Cover with foil, and place in oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set. For runny eggs, remove casserole from oven after 12-15 minutes of baking and slice the yolk in the middle to create a runny egg (similar to pictures in blog).
- Return casserole to the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Cool before freezing, or serve immediately.
- Garnish with green onion, cilantro, sesame seeds and optional red pepper flakes.
Notes
- Freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
- To reheat from frozen, simply thaw overnight and reheat in oven. Or reheat in oven, covered in foil until warm.
Nutrition below based on serving without meat added
- Category: dinner
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: asian american
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 6.2 g
- Sodium: 387.4 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 223.2 mg
Keywords: casserole, fried rice, cauliflower, healthy, keto, paleo, low carb, dairy free, eggs, Asian
Alright my friends, who’s ready to kick of this week with one heck of a nutrient dense meal prep casserole?! Say I! *Raises hands.*
Favorite casserole when you were a kid? What’s your grown up version now?
Adulting is hard. I know. 😉
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Cheers,
LC
