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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I wanted to let you know that the egg roll in a bowl was delicious and a big hit with my family. Only thing I changed was adding some thinly sliced baby carrots and adding Thai Chili sauce. I didn’t have sweet and sour sauce. Loved how easy it was to make. I will definitely make again. Thanks for your expertise. Love your recipes.
OMG—–soooo good!! We had something else planned to make for tonight, but when I saw this new recipe, I sent hubby to the store the ingredients—it was DELICIOUS!! Next time will add extra green onions and maybe some broccoli and red peppers—this is so good you can definitely sneak in some extra veggies! Thank you Jenn—You are so talented..
Made this tonight. Was a big hit! Could use some oomph if you like heat but really good as written. Very quick.
Super easy to make and delicious! Tastes just like an egg roll. Next time I would use more cabbage mix/little less pork. I topped with won ton strips instead of cashews. Awesome!
Just made this. Didn’t have sesame oil, used a substitute. Baked wontons, cut into straps in oven. Served over the tip. This is a keeper!!
Strips & top 🙂
By one bunch of scallions you mean the whole bundle, right? Not an individual stock plus it’s offshoots?
Yes, the whole bundle 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I made this yesterday, And it turned out fantastic. I was hesitant, as often there’s a lot of complaints about cabbage, but no one took issue whatsoever! I couldn’t find Kikkoman sweet-and-sour sauce, I ended up using La Choy.
I added a tablespoon or so of oyster sauce, lots of fresh herbs, cilantro and Thai basil, and finished it with lime juice at the end.
So many favorite recipes from your site Jen, your approach is amazing.
I urge anyone to try this recipe that might be thinking twice, go ahead it’s great!
Thank you, for your detailed and thoughtful approach to recipe writing, and posting of ingredients and steps.
Thanks for your kind words (and so glad you enjoyed)!
Had to try this right tonight – got everything and it was really delicious. We love ‘meals in bowls’ so a great meal for a Friday night. I made cauliflower rice and served that underneath. I can’t say enough. Every one of your recipes turns out as expected. No unpleasant surprises. This will be another ‘go-to’. Thanks so much.
Great recipe! Thanks, Jenn. Tried it this evening and we both really enjoyed it. Made it as directed. Easy prep, came together quickly. Served it with Ready Rice. It’s definitely enough for 4; we had half and there is enough left for another meal. I can see adding extras such as water chestnuts, cilantro, things like that. But it’s great as is.
I’m not rating this as I substituted for the sweet and sour sauce, and the flavor was a little off. I added some chopped broccoli, and a tin of water chestnuts which worked well. A great “clean out the vegetable crisper” recipe, as many other vegetables could be added! Next time, I would cut back on the ratio of meat to vegetables, and serve it with noodles as I didn’t care for it with rice.