Egg Roll In A Bowl
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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
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- 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.
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This was a great, easy recipe! I had to stop myself from “taste-testing” the ground pork with scallions and ginger, or it would have been gone!! I found a recipe online for a less sweet Sweet and Sour sauce, and we added some sauteed mushrooms, because why not?? Next time I’ll add some shredded carrots, and reserve some of the dark green scallions for garnish. We loved this one! Thanks, Jenn, you help us keep dinners interesting!
Made this as written last night for dinner – added some leftover water chestnuts for extra crunch but other than that, no changes. Easy to make and looking forward to the leftovers. Served with steamed rice! Will make again.
Delicious and easy! Made with 1/2 lb ground pork and 1/2 lb ground turkey because it is what I had on hand. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter and it was great. My husband who can be a picky eater went back for seconds!
This was truly excellent! My husband loved it as well, I cut the recipe in half for the two of us, there is enough for leftovers for lunch and he called dibs. Thanks for another great recipe :0)
This is a perfect weeknight dish. My family loved it and have already asked me to make it again. As someone who does a lot of cooking, I really appreciate the way you structure and write your recipes. They are always easy to follow and I never worry if it will turn out. You are a brilliant chef, thanks again for another winner!
This was delicious. I made it exactly as written, served it next to Calrose rice, and topped it with chow mien noodles for a bit of crunch. Next time, I will use a little more ginger and sesame oil, as we love it. Also, I shredded my own cabbage. Yum! Thanks, Jenn!
Absolutely delicious! I did not have sesame oil so I used olive oil…it was still amazing! This is a very simple recipe especially when you buy the pre shredded cabbage. I will definitely add this to my meal rotation. Your recipes never disappoint. I can always count on you making me look like an amazing cook!
Love this recipe! Initially followed to a tee. Since I have made so many times I found I liked to tweak. I use finely chopped (not ground) chicken, pork or shrimp . Omitted the sweet sour sauce bc I didn’t have any and added fish sauce or hoisin sauce. Still perfect . I sub chopped peanuts if I don’t have cashews. This recipe works and can be tweaked to your preference. The bagged chopped cabbage carrot pea pod broccoli slaw makes this 30 min meal served over jasmine rice. Thx Jenn! Outstanding recipe
Want to make this but be able to reduce the Sodium. Looking at all the ingredients, I have to ask: Is all the Sodium from the Soy Sauce and the Sweet and Sour sauce? If I used Low Sodium Soy sauce would it reduce that Sodium number significantly? Thanks Jenn!
Hi Tissa, looking at the recipe, yes, I believe that’s where the great majority of the sodium comes from. You could use low sodium soy sauce and unsalted cashews as well. Hope that helps, and that you enjoy!
I have made this at least 5 times and have encouraged my friends to make it as well. It is so easy and so good! I half the recipe and it works just fine. I try and keep 1/2 pound portions of ground pork as well as cashews in my freezer. A friend, who doesn’t eat pork, made this using Mighty Spark Bruschetta Seasoned Chicken and it was delicious!