This “Egg Roll in a Bowl” delivers all of the satisfying and balanced flavors of an egg roll, like savory ground meat, crisp cabbage, and Asian-style sauce, without the wrapper or fuss. Bold seasoning, lots of texture, and a bit of heat, it’s a complete, flavorful meal all made in one skillet. It’s easy to pull together, high in protein (and flavor), and leaves lots of room to customize! Perfect for any weeknight dinner that wants big taste and minimal cleanup. I love making a whole batch for meal prep lunches!
Ingredients Needed
This recipe is very customizable, and after a lot of experimenting on my part, here’s what I landed on as my favorite. Feel free to adapt and change so it’s catered to you! It’s hard to mess these up, so feel free to be creative.
- ground chicken
- ground pork – I recommend as lean as you can find
- red onion
- ginger
- grated carrots – buy them pre-shredded to save time or grate them yourself to save money
- garlic
- baby bella mushrooms or other vegetables of your choice – take a peek in your fridge and see what you find. Vegetables are really flexible here. I found I really liked the baby bella mushrooms, but just use what you have. I’ve thrown in some stray vegetables at times, like a handful of mushrooms or shredded some celery that needed to be used up.
- coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage – I like using the coleslaw mix from Walmart. It has purple cabbage and carrots mixed in and the shreds are a nice size for cooking without getting soggy.
- soy sauce
- Sriracha – optional
- sesame oil
- rice wine vinegar
- green onions
- Asian condiment of your choice for drizzling – I recommend Gochujang and Japanese BBQ
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Sauté ground meat with onion, garlic, and ginger in a hot skillet until mostly cooked.
- Add carrots and mushrooms; continue cooking until meat is done and veggies are tender.
- Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and optional Sriracha.
- Stir in baggage in batches until wilted.
- Pour sauce over the mixture, toss to coat, heat through, and serve plain, or over rice.
Storage & Other Tips
- Cabbage Tip: you want to retain some crunch, so add it just in handfuls and stop cooking when it just wilts to keep that nice texture.
- Leftovers: store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
- Reheating: I find it works best to reheat leftovers on the stovetop, with a splash of water or soy sauce if it’s gotten a bit dry.
- Make Ahead & Meal Prep Tips:
- if you’re making a bunch of these for meal prep, you’ll want to divide into portions and add fresh toppings (like green onions, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of sauce) to keep it a bit more fresh and vibrant.
- If you include rice or other starches with this, keep the base (meat and veggies) separate from the carb of your choice so it keeps a nice texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe is very flexible. You can use ground turkey, beef, or even diced chicken; just adjust cooking time if needed so the meat is fully cooked.
Not a problem! Just make sure it’s all sliced very thin, so they all cook evenly and allow for that nice, consistent texture.
I find the best way is to put it in a skillet on medium heat with a splash of soy sauce or water. The microwave makes it all a bit too soft in my opinion.
The options are endless, but to keep it authentic I really like to use a more Asian-inspired base. Rice, ramen noodles, cauliflower rice, or rice noodles all work really well.
I really love these Pyrex bowls for meal prep. Cook the protein of choice, then follow the recipe as written. Divide the recipe evenly into the bowls, but leaving out the green onions, sesame seeds, and sauce, and store in the fridge. Cook your carb of choice separate, and keep it separated from the rest of the bowls. When ready to enjoy, warm the egg roll ingredients up in a skillet (preferred, but microwave works – it just might be a bit soft). Warm up your carb, put your warmed egg roll ingredients on top, then add garnishes and sauce last.
Sliced green onions, sesame seeds, crispy wonton strips, lime juice, or a drizzle of sweet chili sauce or extra Sriracha take it up a notch.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground chicken lean
- ½ pound ground pork as lean as you can find
- 1 red onion, small-medium diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- ½ cup carrots grated; buy them pre-shredded to save time or grate them yourself to save money
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup baby bella mushrooms finely diced, optional
- 1 16-oz. bag coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½-1 teaspoon Sriracha optional
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- green onions chopped; for garnish
- Asian condiment of your choice for drizzling I recommend Gochujang and Japanese BBQ
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When hot, crumble the meat into the pan and cook with the onions, garlic, and ginger. When the meat is about halfway cooked, add the carrots, and mushrooms (if using) and cook until the meat is cooked through and the onions are translucent and fragrant.
- While the meat is cooking, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and Sriracha (if using). Set aside.
- Add the cabbage a couple handfuls at a time, stirring it as it wilts. When the cabbage is cooked, drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the meat mixture and stir to combine and heat through. Serve alone or over brown rice.
Notes
- Nutritional information: sauce was not included in the nutritional calculations, so be sure to add that on your own should you choose.
Questions & Reviews
This dish is a new favorite of mine! I’ve made it a few times now. I like to top it with a handful of those crispy wonton strips that you can buy in a bag as a salad topping to give it a little extra crunch. So yummy!
I made it meatless for my vegetarian child, and also added edamame instead of mushrooms. I enjoyed it with the Japanese barbecue sauce.