This cauliflower fried rice with bacon is a healthy twist on the classic fried rice. Made with veggies, bacon, egg, and riced cauliflower, it comes out tender but not mushy. A perfect recipe for those eating paleo and Whole30!
Can cauliflower rice really taste as good as regular rice? In this Bacon Fried Caulirice, yes, yes it can.
I’ve been trying to make a version of my Bacon Fried Rice for a while now that still tasted really delicious and I kept missing the mark. The cauliflower was too mushy or not cooked enough. Then I read this article that recommended roasting the Caulirice. Huzzah! That did it.
Roasting the cauliflower really is the trick to this recipe. That and using fresh (not frozen) cauliflower rice. I know that’s a bummer to hear as frozen cauliflower rice is so convenient (thank you Trader Joe’s), but for this recipe fresh is the better way to go.
This recipe also calls for fresh carrots and broccoli as I couldn’t find a bag of just carrots and broccoli together. You could use frozen options for both of them but I find it’s easier to make sure fresh veggies don’t get mushy whereas frozen veggies can get mushy fast if you’re not careful.
How to make bacon cauliflower fried rice
Start by cooking the bacon in the oven. Line a sheet pan with foil and put the bacon in a single layer. Place it in a cold oven and cook at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes, flipping the bacon after the first 20 minutes. Bake until it’s all the way cooked through.
While the bacon is cooking, chop up the carrots and broccoli. Use both the broccoli head and the stem of the broccoli, but be sure to cut off the outside of the stem so you’re just using the tender inside. You can also cut up the scallions at this point too – set them aside separately until the end.
*TIP* Don’t start cooking the broccoli and carrots until after the bacon is done, otherwise they’ll get cold and possibly mushy.
There should be time at this point to whisk together 3 eggs in a medium sized bowl. You can add a splash of fish sauce, though it’s totally optional. But you’ll be missing out on some great flavor if you pass on this step.
Once the bacon is done cooking, place it on a plate lined with paper towels to get some of the grease off. Then drain the grease out of the pan, reserving some if you’d like for cooking other dishes.
Now start cooking the vegetables. Place the broccoli and carrots in a medium-sized pot over a burner on medium heat, with about ½ to ¾ cup of water. Check them after about 10 mins. If they’re not tender, add another 2 minutes and check again. They should be done at that point.
While the carrots and broccoli are cooking, place the riced cauliflower on the pan that cooked the bacon and spread it around to get greased up a bit. Make sure it’s in an even layer, then pop it in the oven for 5 minutes. This gives it enough time to cook a bit, while still keeping it slightly undercooked. Almost like al dente pasta.
While all the veggies are cooking, take a cutting board and chop up the bacon into bits. Large or small pieces, it doesn’t matter – whatever your preference is. You can also start heating up some avocado oil (or other oil of preference) in a medium pan over medium heat.
Here things go fast, as both the broccoli and carrots, and the cauliflower, will likely all be done at the same time. Wait until they are all done until you cook the eggs, otherwise you risk overcooking something. When the cauliflower is done, take it out of the oven and set aside. When the broccoli and carrots are done, drain any remaining water and set aside. Then turn your attention to the eggs.
Pour the whisked eggs into the pan with the oil and scramble them up. Once they’re scrambled, add everything into the pan – the carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, and bacon. Then stir everything up together. Add in the coconut aminos and fish sauce (again, optional, but you’ll be missing out if you choose not to use it). Stir it all in, then serve!
Looking for more Whole30 recipes? Check these out:
- Cashew Grape Chicken Salad
- Easy Sheet Pan Dinner with Sausage and Veggies
- Potato Breakfast Hash with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Peppers
- Simple Egg Bake with Mushrooms, Leeks, and Sausage
- Oven Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup
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Bacon Cauliflower Fried Rice
Equipment
- A large plate
- A medium sized pot
- A medium pan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bacon
- 3 carrots medium sized
- 1 broccoli head an stem medium sized
- 1 pound fresh cauliflower rice
- 2 scallions
- ¾ cup water
- ½ tbsp avocado oil
- 3 eggs
- fish sauce optional
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
Instructions
- Place aluminum foil or parchment paper on a sheet pan and lay the bacon in a single layer, making sure not to overlap the pieces.
- Put the pan in a cold oven, then turn the oven to 400 degrees. Set the timer to check the bacon after 20 minutes.
- While the bacon is cooking, wash then peel the carrots and dice them using the knife and cutting board. Wash the broccoli and dice it as well. To dice the stem, cut off the outside layer using the knife and dice up the soft inside portion. Set the veggies aside.
- Also cut up the scallions, and set those aside separately from the other veggies.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the eggs, adding in a splash of fish sauce if desired.
- Once the timer for the bacon goes off, take the bacon out of the oven and flip each piece over with tongs. Return the pan of bacon to the oven and set the timer for another 10 minutes.
- When the second timer for the bacon goes off, check the bacon for doneness. It may need another 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. Once it’s done, take a plate lined with paper towels and transfer the bacon onto it, using additional paper towels as necessary between layers of bacon. Let the bacon cool.
- Drain the bacon fat out of the sheet pan (into a bowl to save, or into the garbage).
- Place the carrots and broccoli in a medium sized pot over a burner on medium heat, with about ½ to ¾ cup of water. Check them after about 10 mins. If they not tender, add another 2 minutes and check again. They should be done at that point.
- While carrots and broccoli are cooking, place the riced cauliflower on the pan that cooked the bacon and spread it around to get greased up a bit. Put it in the oven and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Place a medium pan over medium heat on the stove, pouring the avocado oil into it to heat up. This will be used to cook the eggs, but wait until after the veggies are done before you cook the eggs. Otherwise you run the risk of overcooking something.
- When all of the veggies are done cooking, set them aside while you cook the eggs.
- Pour the whisked eggs into the hot pan with the oil. Stir them with a wooden spoon or spatula to scramble them.
- Once the eggs are scrambled, add the veggies and bacon into the pan – the carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, and bacon. Then stir everything up together.
- Turn off the heat, then add in the coconut aminos and fish sauce (optional). Stir it all in, then serve warm.
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