Egg Roll In A Bowl
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If you love the flavors of a classic egg roll and want dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, this egg roll in a bowl is exactly what you need. It hits all those savory, gingery, garlicky notes you’re craving, and everything cooks up in one pan with minimal cleanup.
This deconstructed egg roll takes everything you love about that crispy takeout classic and turns it into a fast weeknight dinner version that comes together with a bag of coleslaw mix and a handful of simple ingredients. Big flavor, one pan, done in under 30 minutes. My husband eats the leftovers for breakfast whenever I make it, which tells you everything you need to know.
The base is flexible, and the toppings are fun. You can easily swap ingredients based on what you have on hand, and it works just as well for meal prep as it does for a weeknight dinner. I have a whole collection of easy weeknight dinners if you’re looking for more fast, one-pan ideas to rotate into your week.
Why You’ll Love This Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Versatile meal with all the hallmarks of a great egg roll, minus the frying and greasy takeout containers.
- Ready in under 30 minutes, great for fast weeknight dinners
- Fast, nutritious, and uses shortcut ingredients from the grocery store.
- It’s one of those super simple recipes that’s great for weekly meal prep and meal planning.
Egg Roll In A Bowl Recipe Ingredients
- Ground pork – I like 90/10 lean to fat %. You can also substitute with other ground meats, see the subs section for suggestions.
- Olive oil – The olive oil is just to keep the meat from sticking to the pan. The ground pork doesn’t have enough fat to keep it from sticking on its own.
- Coarse Kosher salt
- Scallions – You’ll be using bot the. white and green parts.
- Minced Garlic and Ginger – The garlic and ginger add so much flavor. For ginger, you can mince up the fresh root yourself, or just use a paste from the grocery store (that’s what I do).
- Coleslaw Mix – I like a bag of rainbow mix, which is red cabbage, green cabbage, and carrots. If I can’t find a 16-ounce bag, I use a mixture of 12 ounces of slaw mix (or shredded green cabbage) and 1 cup of shredded carrots.
- Soy Sauce – You can also use a low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos (see substitutions below).
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar – I love rice vinegar for brightening up the brown sauce added at the end of cooking. Rice vinegar is milder than distilled white vinegar, so it doesn’t overpower any of the flavors in the recipe.
- Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar. Any time I’m adding something salty (like soy sauce) and acidic (vinegar) to a recipe, I add sugar to balance it all out.
- Sesame oil – This is just for flavor. If you don’t like the taste or if sesame oil doesn’t sit well with you, feel free to leave it out!
- Toppings – I top mine with crispy wonton strips and sweet chili sauce for that Chinese takeout feel, but this bowl is wide open: sesame seeds, duck sauce, hoisin, sriracha, chili crisp, or any sauce you’d dip an egg roll in would be perfect here.
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl with Coleslaw Mix
Step 1
Cook the pork in a large skillet on medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 2
Turn down to medium heat, add in the cabbage and carrot mix, and cook until wilted. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir to combine and cook for another minute to dissolve the sugar.
It’s the same simple technique I use in my one pot chili mac, build the flavor first, then bring everything together at the end.
Step 3
Serve hot as is or over rice. Garnish with the green parts of the onions, crispy wonton strips, or sesame seeds. Drizzle with the egg roll sauce of your choice.
Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl Substitutions & Variations
- Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce. They both add great umami flavor.
- You can use another protein like ground turkey, ground chicken, your favorite plant-based crumbles, or crispy tofu.
- Any vegetable slaw mix. Broccoli slaw or shaved Brussels would be delicious in this mix. You’ll need a total of 4-5 cups of shredded vegetables for this recipe.
- Add sauteed mushrooms, sprouts, or any other veggies you love.
Tips & Tricks
- If you’re using full sodium soy sauce, start with just 4 tablespoons of soy sauce and taste before serving. This will prevent making the bowl too salty. You can always add more soy before plating.
- Don’t add the sauce too early, or the sugar will burn.
- This recipe is essentially a deconstructed egg roll, add wonton strips or wonton chips for the classic egg roll crunch. I like to drizzle with sweet chili or duck sauce for the full egg roll flavor experience.
How to Serve Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Serve over brown or white rice or cauliflower rice
- Serve over cooked ramen noodles, udon, lo mein, or rice noodles
- Serve as is, topped with crispy wonton strips and duck sauce (this is how I serve it at my house!)
Storage Instructions
- This is a great base for meal prep (my husband does this for work lunches all the time!).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute on high, stir, and heat again for 30 seconds
- I don’t recommend freezing these leftovers. The cabbage will get too watery and limp upon thawing.
If you’re into easy meal prep dinners, my slow cooker salsa chicken is another one that stores beautifully all week and practically makes itself.
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Best Egg Roll In A Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ground pork, 90% lean 10%fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 5 scallions, whites and green parts divided
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger, or ginger paste
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 16 ounces rainbow coleslaw mix or 12 ounces of slaw mix and 4 ounces (1 cup)of shredded carrots
- 4-5 Tablespoons soy sauce, see note
- 1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (optional)
Toppings:
- Crispy wonton strips or sesame seeds
- Sauce for drizzling: Prepared Sweet Chili Sauce, Duck Sauce, Hoisin, Sriracha, Chili Crisp, or any flavorful sauce you love for egg rolls.
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet. Cook the pork on medium-high heat until no longer pink (5-7 minutes). Season with salt. Turn down the heat if the meat is browning too quickly.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add in the coleslaw and carrot mix and cook until wilted, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
- Once wilted, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil and pour over the veggies and pork. Cook for another minute to dissolve the sugar, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan while you’re at it. Taste the mixture before serving and add more soy sauce or sesame oil to taste.
- Garnish with green scallions. Serve hot as is or over rice. Top with crispy wonton strips, and drizzle with sweet chili or duck sauce, or any sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Soy Sauce: If you’re using low sodium soy sauce, use 5 tablespoons. If you’re using full sodium soy sauce, start with 4 tablespoons so it’s not too salty. You can always add more to taste. You can swap in coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce.
- Coleslaw Mix: Use 16 ounces Coleslaw Mix or if you can’t find it, use 12 ounces of slaw mix and 4 ounces (1 cup) of shredded carrots
- Meat Substitutions: swap ground pork for ground chicken, lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, plant based crumbles, or tofu.
