Egg Roll Bowl (15 Minute Meal)

These Egg Roll Bowls have all the flavors of your favorite Chinese dish but are made without the deep-fried wrapper for a healthier, delicious twist on this classic recipe. It’s a favorite easy Asian dish in our house along with this Healthy Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Asian Rice Bowls. 

We have a weakness for Chinese food around here, especially the East Coast variety, which I am sad to report is almost impossible to find in California. But let’s be real, this is probably a good thing since I would likely be ordering in more often if I could find it out here. However, this does mean that I am constantly trying to recreate healthier versions of my favorites at home.

Today we are taking on the traditional egg roll. Here are the top three reasons why I love this recipe! 

• Make a healthy, low carb dinner in just 15 minutes!
• Budget-friendly with lean ground meat and bagged coleslaw mix.
• Great for meal prep – easy prep and reheats well.

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What You’ll Need and Easy Swaps

Here are all the ingredients you need for this tasty recipe. 

• Protein: Use any ground meat you like in this recipe including turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, and beef. Chopped chicken breast or chicken thighs also work well, although it is more prep work.
• Cabbage and carrots: Either grab a bag of coleslaw mix or finely chop some green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Free free to swap in Napa cabbage or another cabbage variety. This recipe also works with shredded brussels sprouts or bok choy. Consider adding some extra vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, or bean sprouts. 
• Ginger, garlic, and onion: These are the main aromatics to build flavor in this dish. For faster prep, use the tubes of garlic and ginger paste. Any variety of onion works, including green onions. 
• Soy sauce: Use regular or low-sodium soy sauce to add a deep, rich flavor to this dish. Coconut aminos or tamari also can be used.
• Extras:  For some extra protein, I like to add shelled edamame but that is definitely optional. For heat, add some Sriracha or sambal olek. Some people also like to add crunch with store-bought wonton chips, sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, or chopped peanuts as a garnish. For something creamy, add some spicy mayonnaise. 

How to Make an Egg Roll in a Bowl

Now to make a healthier egg roll, the first step was obviously removing the deep-fried wrapper.  (Still want the crunchy wrapper, try these baked egg rolls.) 

After that, it was just a matter of recreating the filling, which is surprisingly easy. I decided to make mine with ground chicken but you could use ground turkey, lean sausage (delicious!), lean ground pork (traditional), or veggie crumbles for a meatless version. 

From there, the rest is easy. Brown the meat with some ginger and garlic. Add heaps of cabbage and carrots. Then season with soy sauce or coconut aminos.  Since I love spicy, I toss in some Sriracha as well, but you can leave that out.

Traditionally, a touch of sugar is added to the sauce, but I don’t think it needs it. If you like things on the sweet side, add some brown sugar or honey to your sauce. In just15 minutes, dinner is ready.

When it comes to side dishes, I usually serve this egg roll stirfry with a heaping pile of steamed rice or cauliflower rice. It’s also delicious as lettuce wraps or served on an Asian inspired salad.

Tips for Making Egg Roll in a Bowl

• Switch up the meat: Any ground meat will work in this recipe so have fun experimenting. While I normally opt for chicken or turkey, one of my favorite things to use is lean ground turkey sausage. The seasoning from the sausage adds a ton of flavor. You can also reach for lean ground pork, which is the traditional filling. For something vegetarian, use tofu or vegetarian crumbles.
• Packaged coleslaw: Save money and time by purchasing a packaged coleslaw mix instead of shredding your own green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. I have found that by the time I purchase all three items, I have spent 3-4 times as much as the bag cost. You can also use broccoli slaw in this recipe if you want some extra added crunch.
• Drizzle: If part of the reason you love egg rolls is the dipping sauce, make some to drizzle on top before serving. For something quick and easy, you can use hoisin sauce or a sweet chili sauce. For a more traditional sauce, try this one. Some people also like to serve this with spicy mayo.
• Miss the crunch: Top the dish with some baked wonton chips for the traditional crunch.

How to Meal Prep Egg Roll in a Bowl?

This is one of my favorite meals to prep ahead of time and have in the fridge for quick and easy lunches. The leftovers reheat really well. 

Start by making some brown rice or for a shortcut, grab some frozen brown rice in the grocery store. You don’t even have to defrost it. Divide it up between your meal prep containers.

Want more vegetables? Use half brown rice and half cauliflower rice. Then pile the egg roll in a bowl on top of the rice. That’s it. 

Is this the same as crack slaw?

Crack slaw is almost the same as this egg roll in a bowl recipe but with a few changes. Traditionally, crack slaw is made with either ground pork or ground pork sausage.

To keep things light and healthy, I like to make this with lean ground chicken or turkey instead. The other difference is that some crack slaw recipes use broccoli slaw instead of cabbage slaw. Both will work. 

Dietary Options

It’s easy to customize this recipe to fit almost any dietary needs. Here are the three most common options. 

• Gluten-free: For a gluten-free egg roll in a bowl, you will want to use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce. You could also use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari if you can find it.

• Whole30: For a Whole30 version, make sure to leave out the edamame and use coconut aminos. You will also need a compliant hot sauce since Sriracha isn’t allowed on the Whole30.

• Keto: To keep this low carb for a keto diet, make sure to leave out the edamame. Many people will also use ground meat with a higher fat content like ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork, or ground sausage.