One-Skillet Egg Roll in a Bowl
Egg roll in a bowl made with ground pork and crisp cabbage in one skillet, ready in 25 minutes. All the takeout flavor with none of the frying.
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Egg roll in a bowl is the dinner I reach for when I want takeout flavor without the takeout wait. Ground pork browns in one skillet, a bag of coleslaw mix goes in right on top of it, and a quick soy and ginger sauce pulls everything together in about 25 minutes. It tastes like the inside of an egg roll, which was always the best part anyway.
The trick is cooking the cabbage fast and hot instead of letting it stew. Coleslaw mix is already shredded thin, so 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat is all it needs to go from raw and squeaky to crisp-tender. Cook it longer and it starts giving off water, which thins the sauce and leaves the whole bowl soggy.
I keep a bag of coleslaw mix in the fridge most weeks specifically for this. Shredding a whole cabbage and a couple of carrots by hand takes 15 minutes of knife work. The bag takes zero, and that’s usually the difference between making this on a Tuesday and just thinking about it.
Why You’ll Love This Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
- One skillet, start to finish. The pork, the cabbage, and the sauce all happen in the same pan, so cleanup is one pan and a whisk.
- Ready in 25 minutes. Most of that is browning the pork; the cabbage cooks in about 5.
- Cabbage that stays crisp. Cooking it hot and fast keeps the shreds crunchy instead of limp and watery.
- Naturally light. It’s mostly pork and vegetables, so it fills you up without sitting like a brick.
Egg Roll in a Bowl Ingredients
Reach for regular ground pork rather than the extra-lean kind. The little bit of fat carries the ginger and garlic through the cabbage, and lean pork tends to go dry and crumbly by the time the cabbage is done.
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 (14 oz) bag coleslaw mix
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Ground chicken or ground turkey both work in place of the pork; cook them to 165°F since they’re poultry, and add an extra teaspoon of oil to the pan since they’re leaner.
- Stir in a cup of shredded carrots or thinly sliced mushrooms with the coleslaw mix for more vegetables.
- Spoon it over steamed rice to stretch it further, though that does mean a second pot on the stove.
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Brown the pork: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F on a meat thermometer. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the green onion whites, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Whisk the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha if using, and black pepper.
- Cook the cabbage: Add the coleslaw mix to the skillet and toss it with the pork. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage has wilted down but still has some bite.
- Sauce the skillet: Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until most of the liquid has cooked into the cabbage.
- Finish with sesame oil: Take the skillet off the heat and drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the top, tossing once to spread it around.
- Serve: Spoon the egg roll in a bowl into bowls and top with the green onion tops, sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Use a Whole Head of Cabbage Instead of Bagged Coleslaw Mix?
Yes. You’ll want about 6 cups of thinly shredded green cabbage plus one shredded carrot to match the bag. Slice it as thin as you can so it cooks in the same 5 minutes.
Why Is My Egg Roll in a Bowl Watery?
The cabbage was cooked too long or over heat that was too low, so it released its water instead of searing. Keep the burner at medium-high and pull it while the shreds still have crunch.
Can I Make This Ahead for Lunches?
It’s one of the better meal-prep dinners. Portion it into containers once it cools and it holds up for 4 days, though the cabbage softens a little each day.
Is Toasted Sesame Oil the Same as Regular Sesame Oil?
No, and the difference matters here. Toasted sesame oil is dark and nutty and goes in at the end for flavor. Plain sesame oil is light and mild and won’t give you that egg roll taste.
Can I Make It Gluten Free?
Yes, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. If you use coconut aminos, cut the brown sugar in half since they’re already sweeter.
Cooking Tips
- Grate the ginger on a microplane instead of mincing it. The fine shreds melt into the sauce, so nobody bites into a stringy chunk.
- Get the skillet hot before the pork goes in. Pork dropped into a lukewarm pan steams gray instead of browning, and that browning is most of the flavor.
- Hold the sesame oil until the heat is off. It scorches easily and loses its nutty smell if you cook it.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Freezing works but costs you the texture. Cabbage turns soft and watery after thawing, so this is better eaten within the week.
To reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring in between.
How to Serve Egg Roll in a Bowl
Egg roll in a bowl is a full dinner on its own, though a side of steamed edamame or a cup of miso soup makes it feel like a proper takeout night. This is one of the recipes in our August collection, and more fast, one-skillet weeknight dinners like it are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Egg roll in a bowl is proof that a 25-minute dinner can still taste like you ordered it.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
One-Skillet Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 green onions thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 (14 oz) bag coleslaw mix
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sriracha optional
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the pork: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F on a meat thermometer. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the green onion whites, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Whisk the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha if using, and black pepper.
- Cook the cabbage: Add the coleslaw mix to the skillet and toss it with the pork. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage has wilted down but still has some bite.
- Sauce the skillet: Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, until most of the liquid has cooked into the cabbage.
- Finish with sesame oil: Take the skillet off the heat and drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the top, tossing once to spread it around.
- Serve: Spoon the egg roll in a bowl into bowls and top with the green onion tops, sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro.
