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.
Think of the crispy, savory goodness of a classic Chinese egg roll—then imagine it deconstructed into a lighter, healthier version. This egg roll in a bowl recipe has all the familiar flavors: savory pork, cabbage, garlic, onion, and ginger—minus the wrapper and deep frying. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s a quick, one-skillet dinner perfect for busy weeknights. Serve with jasmine rice or brown rice.
“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. You can sub other proteins like ground chicken or ground turkey, but for best results, avoid anything too lean.
- 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 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.
- Sesame Oil: Imparts a nutty and rich flavor—a little goes a long way.
- 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.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce on the side. This dish reheats nicely and can be made up to 3 days ahead of time or frozen for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Egg Roll In A Bowl
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 in (4-cm) knob (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb 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 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.
Notes
- Check out some easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger.
- 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
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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We loved this!! As I’m watching carbs, I followed your suggested to substitute hot Asian chili garlic sauce for the sweet and sour, and it gave it a nice depth of flavor. It actually reminded me of the Chinese restaurant dish Mu Shi Pork—a favorite of mine! Thanks for another winner!
Another excellent recipe from Jenn. So easy to make and yet so delicious. I share this blog with everyone I know – the recipes are always a winner. Thanks so much Jenn!
Hi Jenn, loved the recipe- more like this please! If you wanted to heat, would you do some crushed red chili flakes?
So glad you enjoyed, John! Yes you could definitely add chili flakes; Asian chili garlic sauce would also be delicious.
Made this today with ground chicken and we loved it. Shredded my own cabbage and carrots and used Duck Sauce as that’s what I had in the fridge. Served with rice. Will definitely make again. Thanks for all your fabulous recipes.
This is so good! We made it exactly as written and it is absolutely delicious! Thank you, we love your blog and recipes and this one is fantastic!
This was an interesting dish. I liked all the components but felt like it lacked a depth of flavor. I added 2tsp siracha sauce and it helped, but thought overall that it was a glorified fried rice (I served it with rice). It was a nice way to get in cabbage.
Hi Jenn:
I’m allergic to ginger (so sad, right?!) Can you please share a good spice alternative for this recipe? Love so many of your recipes! Thanks!
Hi Laura, So glad you like the recipes! You can just omit the ginger or add a pinch of mace or cardamom to the mix. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, Made this tonight for dinner, as written, except I used low sodium soy sauce. I served it over rice and topped it with fried wonton strips (from the produce section). My husband and I LOVED it! Very tasty, healthy, and delicious. Thank you for deconstructing egg rolls!
My three boys ages 3, 5, and 7 all asked for seconds and thirds. Delicious!!! I took a chance on this organic sweet and sour sauce and thought it went amazing with this dish. I cook from Jenn’s blog/cookbook at least three times a week and this was another winner. Thank you!!
https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Fusion-Sweet-Sauce-Ounce/dp/B0744J7VN4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=XS70OD9OXGA&keywords=asian+fusion+sweet+and+sour+sauce&qid=1647388118&sprefix=aisian+fusion+swee%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-3
We have a nut allergy (and an egg allergy) in the family. Any other options for crunch?
Hi Robyn, you could just omit the nuts, or use something like chow mein noodles or wonton strips. Make sure you check them for allergens. Hope that helps!
I used chopped up water chestnuts (which are a vegetable and not a nut) as a substitute for cashews and they worked nicely for added crunch.
I was going to ask the same thing! I’m glad I scrolled through the comments first.
This recipe was tasty and easy to put together. Instead of pork, I used sausage meat that comes seasoned. Would definitely make it again. Your directions on your recipes, if followed, come together beautifully. Thank You.