Fried Rice Carbonara

This fun recipe for fried rice carbonara blends two old classics for a great new suppertime taste! The perfect way to use leftover rice, too.

I get some of my favorite recipe brainstorms while looking into the depths of my fridge at the containers (yes, I have labeled containers, I gotta be me) that say “leftovers” and “other.”

There are always bits and pieces hanging around in those containers that fall into the No Ingredient Left Behind category (I see you in there, coconut milk), and in the case of this recipe for fried rice carbonara, there was a container of leftover rice that was calling my name.

I don’t ever seem to be able to make rice without (accidentally on purpose?) having leftover rice, which is never an issue, because aside from my favorite pastina with eggs and cheese, you can’t beat a bowl of warm rice with butter when you want a little comfort food.

However! This time there was more than my usual amount of leftover rice, and whether it’s from making more than you need or because you had take-out and have a leftover carton, when that happens I usually think, time for fried rice!

But you know how I like to mash up recipes, and the word “carbonara” always brings them to the table in my house, and so I decided to take the best of two recipes to see how it would work.

What is carbonara sauce made of?

Carbonara usually features beaten eggs, pancetta or bacon, Parmesan cheese and heavy cream, all mixed together with warm pasta to make an eggy, creamy, cheese sauce. It’s heaven on a plate.

What is fried rice made of?

Fried rice usually features cooked rice that is stir-fried with eggs, veggies, soy sauce and rice wine to give it a little zing. It is also heaven on a plate.

So I took the common ingredient – eggs – and added the Parmesan and bacon from the carbonara recipe and the rice and rice wine from the fried rice recipe and smooshed them together in a skillet. Would it work?

It worked!

How to make fried rice carbonara

Put a couple of eggs in a bowl with ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and a handful of fresh chopped parsley.  Whisk it all up together and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook a few pieces of chopped up bacon in a large deep skillet until it’s nice and crispy.  Scoop it out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

Pour in a little rice wine and cook it over medium high heat for a couple of minutes, scraping all the delightful stuck-on bits of bacon off the bottom of the pan.

Add a couple of cups of cooked rice to the skillet with the bacon drippings and stir for a few minutes until it is hot.

Add a little butter, the egg mixture and the bacon and toss to coat – the heat of the rice is going to cook that egg mixture just the right amount.  

Add some chopped scallions and toss.  Give it a taste and add some salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Divide among bowls, garnish with Parmesan and the rest of the parsley and serve it up!

Now on to that can of coconut milk!

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