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.
This is the most amazing Asian style recipe I have ever made. I am usually disappointed with some oriental recipes for not achieving the flavor I would like. The mix of all the ingredients especially with the cashews and sesame oil produce a memorable meal.
Excellent! So tasty and easy to put together. We really enjoyed it!
A winner for sure!!
Amazing! This recipe was so good! My teenage boys devoured it.
Once again you have created a winner. This was delicious and very easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly except I used the juice of lemon instead of a lime. It will definitely be put on my rotation.
Next time I will double this recipe!
This is a good one for my husband son and I. At my local grocery store the butcher gave me fresh ground pork. It was delicious. Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
I’d give this recipe 10 out of 5 stars, if I could.
Thanks once again for making me look like a super chef!
This recipe was easy to make, tasted fantastic, was quick to put together and was a very welcome change to our usual meals. This will absolutely be added to our regular rotation! We all loved it.
(Note: Other than using low sodium soya sauce, all other ingredients were as you wrote it.)
So delicious! This recipe might just end up on a weekly rotation, I love it THAT much lol. I had to make my own sweet and sour sauce since I couldn’t find it in the store but found a simple easy recipe so problem solved. Served with some Trader Joe’s brown rice. Yummy.
Love it! I found this dish so healthy and easy to put together. I ate it without rice to reduce my uncontrollable love for rice and carbohydrates. Loved the tutorial on preparing ginger. I tend to be a little lazy and used Trader Joe’s frozen ginger (two cubes). Next time I will spice it up with either Sriracha sauce or pepper flakes.
Jenn, planning on making this on Sunday. Looks so good. Can I do early in the day and reheat in the microwave
Definitely – hope you enjoy!
Hope I will be allowed to review…first attempt was rejected saying I had already said something similar when all I did was ask my question. Jenn, this was a TERRIFIC dinner. Reheated on the stove, and had Trader Joes jasmine rice in the microwave. Serves with a dry late harvest Reisling. Lemon sorbet and your chocolate biscotti for dessert, friend could not stop raving. Fast, easy…I did add a good amount of sweet and sour sauce at the end. As much as I loved it, it is a sodium bomb so I won’t be making it too often as i have to watch my salt intake. Thanks for another wonderful recipe
Wow Jenn,
I truly love egg rolls so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It did not disappoint. Wife started raving on second bite. She said this one seriously has to go into rotation. Served with Gaba brown rice.
Thanks again for all you do!
Robert