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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I have been craving this dish post holiday binge and thought I’d try it. At first bite I thought it was a little under seasoned, but as I started eating this dish I found myself shoveling it in my mouth! Sorry to be so graphic but this dish is a sleeper – it’s so easy, nutritious and so yummy!
This must be our fifth or six meal with this wonderful, tasty recipe. Yum yyum
Hi Jenn,
What can be used in substitution of the Kikkoman Sweet & Sour Sauce for those of us avoiding sugar?
Thanks,
Debra
Hi Debra, I don’t know of a bottled alternative that would work well, but I see online that there are a few recipes for sugar-free sweet and sour sauce. This one gets high ratings it if you want to give it a try. (Please keep in mind I haven’t tried it myself.) Hope that helps!
Thank you!!!!!!
Wow! We made this for dinner last night for friends. Not a single bite left over. Simple to make and just delicious. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Another home run Jenn. I made as directed (minus the cashews- didn’t have them and didn’t need them lol). My hubby looked doubtful when I told him what I was going to make for dinner but couldn’t stop praising the bowl in between mouthfuls. Instead of rice, I served it with my deconstructed wonton soup. Yum and thanks Jenn for sharing.
Made this fast and easy recipe for a weeknight dinner. I used plant-based pork to make it vegetarian and low-sodium soy sauce to cut back on the salt but otherwise followed the recipe as written. This dish is packed with flavor and the leftovers were as tasty as the day it was made. We just happened to have some crispy wonton strips left over from an Asian salad, so we sprinkled them over top and it really added a nice texture to mimic the crispy bite of an egg roll. This recipe is another keeper.
Hi Jenn
When I saw this recipe in your email I knew I had to try it. I made it tonight following every step and it was super delicious 😋 This dish would be excellent for lunch as well. I had to skip sesame oil since I have a severe allergy to sesame, it almost killed me before, so I have to stay away from many asian dishes. This was very quick and easy to make. Thank you 😊
A great, easy dinner. I added a shallot and extra garlic and ginger to give it a little more punch. I’m also a fan of lower sodium soy sauce. Serving over rice makes it a complete meal. Another winner!
Absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have any Sweet and Sour sauce but I used Sweet Chili Sauce instead and it was so good!! Thanks Jenn
Amazing!!!!