Recipe: A sheet pan is the secret to the easiest fried rice

Three days after Thanksgiving, I’m usually sick of turkey-and-dressing sandwiches and cold pumpkin pie. I want to stay far away from mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. I’m ready for a change in flavor but not ready to spend any effort cooking.

Enter sheet pan fried rice. This cooking method for crisping rice has been popularized by The New York Times food writers Eric Kim and Hetty Lui McKinnon and is the simplest way to get perfect fried rice every time. All you need to do is heat a sheet pan in a hot oven, add seasoned cooked rice and let it bake until crisp and browned. I like to use par-cooked rice packets from the market shelf; the rice can go straight from the package onto the sheet pan without needing to be microwaved. Leftover rice works equally well if you’ve got it in the fridge. And since you don’t need to stand by the stove stir-frying, you can use that free time to grab a glass of wine and take a break from the chaos of the holiday week.

For this recipe, I’ve used an unconventional (for fried rice) flavor combination inspired by BLT sandwiches. Instead of taking the time to fry bacon, swap in precooked bacon crumbles, and for concentrated tomato flavor, use sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Use the tomato oil, along with soy sauce, to season the rice. I add chopped romaine lettuce after cooking to give the dish a pop of color and crunch.