Egg Roll In A Bowl
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Enjoy the flavors of a traditional Chinese egg roll without the fuss in this delicious egg roll in a bowl recipe—a simple one-skillet meal that’s a surefire winner for the whole family.
Imagine the savory goodness of a classic Chinese egg roll, then reimagine it with a fresh, healthful twist in this egg roll in a bowl recipe. Traditional egg rolls, with their mix of shredded cabbage, aromatic garlic, onion, ginger, and roasted pork all wrapped in a wheat flour wrapper and deep-fried, are transformed here into a lighter, deconstructed version—unwrapped, un-fried, but still brimming with protein, veggies, and flavor. Ready in just 30 minutes, this quick-prep, one-skillet dinner is a perfect option for busy weeknights.
Table of Contents
“Perfect weeknight meal! Drizzled a little takeout duck sauce on top and served with rice…So good my daughter immediately added this to her ‘Mom cook list!’”
What You’ll Need To Make Egg Roll In A Bowl
- Scallions, Fresh Ginger, Garlic: These aromatics are foundational in Asian cooking and provide the base of flavor for the dish.
- Ground Pork: An 80% lean mix is ideal for the best flavor.
- Shredded Cabbage: Cabbage is a key ingredient in traditional egg rolls and adds crunch and sweetness to the dish. Using bagged coleslaw mix from the produce department is a convenient shortcut that also includes additional veggies like carrots.
- Soy Sauce: Adds umami and a salty depth to the dish.
- Sweet and Sour Sauce: Adds a tangy and slightly sweet contrast to the dish, mimicking the flavor profile of an egg roll dipped in sauce. If you have some duck sauce and Chinese hot mustard packets stashed away in your kitchen, you can serve those with it, too.
- Asian Sesame Oil: Imparts a nutty and rich flavor. It should be used sparingly due to its intense flavor.
- Salted Cashews: While nuts aren’t a traditional ingredient in egg rolls, they add a delightful, healthy crunch to this dish, compensating for the lack of a crispy fried wrapper (although go ahead and add crispy fried wontons if you like).
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Slice the scallions, chop the ginger and the cashews, and mince the garlic.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the light scallions and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Mix in the garlic and cook 20 seconds more; do not brown.
Add the pork and continue cooking, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon.
Cook the pork until browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the coleslaw and soy sauce to the skillet.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the coleslaw is wilted and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the sweet and sour sauce, sesame oil, cashews, and dark green scallions.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily substitute the ground pork with other proteins like ground chicken or ground turkey. For best results, avoid anything too lean.
Yes, this dish reheats beautifully and can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container (wait to add the nuts until ready to serve). Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave.
I always serve this dish with simply steamed white or brown rice. For a low-carb meal, it’s delicious on its own, with a steamed vegetable, or served over cauliflower rice. It would also pair nicely with a cucumber salad and/or dumplings.
You May Also Like
- Thai-Style Pork Fried Rice
- 30-Minute Hoisin Beef Bowls
- Tuna Poke Bowls
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Fried Rice
Video Tutorial
Egg Roll In A Bowl
Enjoy the flavors of a traditional Chinese egg roll without the fuss in this delicious egg roll in a bowl recipe—a simple one-skillet meal that’s a surefire winner for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, light and dark green parts separated
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger, from a 1½ inch knob (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground pork (preferably 80% lean)
- 1 (1-lb) bag shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix (about 7 cups)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sweet and sour sauce, plus more for serving (I use Kikkoman No Preservatives Added)
- ½ teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup salted cashews, chopped
- Rice, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the light scallions and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 20 seconds more; do not brown. Add the pork and continue cooking, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the coleslaw and soy sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the sweet and sour sauce, sesame oil, cashews, and dark green scallions. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Serve with sweet and sour sauce on the side.
- Note: Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This dish can be made up to three days ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container (wait to add the nuts until ready to serve). Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 454
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 1,244 mg
- Cholesterol: 71 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hi Jenn,
we just finished dinner,and another huge “thank you” to you-your recipes never disappoint!!!😊
Your recipe “Egg Roll in a Bowl” was in my email this morning & after looking it over,I knew what what was for dinner.
So simple & fun to make – and sooo good! Upon finishing,my fiancé asked to have it again.
Wanted to share I did not have sweet & sour sauce so I made my own.
Next time I will add water chestnuts for a little more crunch.
Also, because it was just the 2 of us,I reduced the amount of pork ,but kept the amount of ginger, scallions, & garlic the same. So, so good!!!
Thank you Jenn ,you’re a treasure!
Hi Jenn,
I’m a fan for sure! This looks great. What replaces the egg roll? Is it the cashews? Would love to add the egg roll crunch. Any suggestions?
Dolce
Yes, the cashews add a nice crunch in place of the crispy egg roll wrapper. I was going for healthy/high-protein, but you could use fried wonton strips as well.
Hi Jenn! This looks fabulous as do ALL your recipes. We’re keeping carbs low so sweet & sour isn’t so good. What other sauce would you suggest? (We love spicy.)
Hi Maryalice, Most egg roll in a bowl recipes don’t call for any sauce, so you could just omit it. That said, I think it does need a little something to boost the flavor. You could try Chinese hot mustard or Asian chili garlic sauce, but I would add those to taste when serving. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi! Can’t wait to make! It looks in the picture like you added red peppers? And rice?
Hi Cheffy, I didn’t add peppers; I think you’re seeing the red cabbage and carrots in the shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix. I did serve it with rice. Enjoy!
Glad I read ALL the comments otherwise I would have missed the great sub of mushrooms. I am trying to do plant based dinner three nights a week. Making this tomorrow night.
This looks great and would be even healthier if you use cauliflower rice or a mixture of cauliflower rice and rice. It would dramatically lower the carbohydrates. I will be making this for dinner tonight.
Hi Jenn,
We don’t eat pork but this looks amazing! Would you recommend making it with ground chicken? Thank you!
LOVE your recipes!!!!
Sure, ground chicken will work; just be sure it’s not too lean.
That was going to be my question. Cant wait to try it. Every recipe I’ve tried from you has been a winner!
Hi Jenn,
I Made it tonight with ground chicken. It was fabulous. Didn’t have sesame oil but i threw in some sesame seeds i had in the freezer. My teenage nieces loved it too!
Yes, exactly. I made this yesterday with ground chicken and made a note for myself to maybe try ground turkey thigh next time as it has more fat. Or, if using chicken maybe brown it first and then put it in a separate bowl, make the rest and lastly throw in the chicken. I LOVE this recipe. It is incredibly good! I just had leftovers and it is better the next day. I also made homemade sweet and sour sauce. Easy -red peppper/ pineapple, rice vinegar, tad sugar and cornstarch slurry to thicken. No MSG! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce too.
Have not yet tried this yummy looking recipe but will this coming weekend.
Question/ I have a family member who is a vegetarian. Any other food that can be substituted for the pork yet keep the same flavor
? Thanks so much! Patricia
Hi Patricia, I think mushrooms would be really good. I’d use the pre-sliced “gourmet blend” of mushrooms sold at most supermarkets. You’ll need to increase the oil by about a tablespoon. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it.
Ooh I can’t wait to try this! I love egg rolls especially the filling. I actually used to just open them and eat the insides as a child. I’m sure this will be delicious!
I am so excited to see this! I tried a recipe from a healthy eating site and I had a week’s worth of lunches that were not very yummy. Looking forward to making this next week!
Thank you Jenn!
Doreen