This Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe has all of the delicious flavors of your favorite Chinese appetizer, but without the deep-fried wrapper! Plus, all you’ll need is one skillet and less than 30 minutes to get this healthy dinner on the table.
Table of Contents
Making Asian stir-fries and takeout dishes at home is one of my favorite ways to get dinner on the table fast. And this deconstructed Egg Roll in a Bowl has been a go-to of mine for over 5 years.
I’ve served it to dozens of people of all ages. Every single time, the reaction is the same: This is incredible!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: Ready in just 30 minutes, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights when you need a delicious meal in a hurry.
- One Skillet: Minimal cleanup required! Everything comes together in just one skillet, making it as convenient as it is tasty.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, so there’s no need for a special trip to the store.
- Healthy & Flavorful: Packed with protein and veggies, this dish is a nutritious option that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
- Customizable: Tailor the recipe to your taste by adding extra veggies, swapping in different proteins, or adjusting the seasonings to make it your own!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Notes about the ingredients needed for this Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe are below. Jump to recipe for the exact measurements.
- Ground Turkey: A 93/7 ground turkey is my personal perference, but ground pork, ground chicken, or even a leaner ground beef can be used.
- Cabbage: Thinly shredded cabbage is best. You’ll need about 1 medium head of cabbage. You can also do a mixture of purple and green cabbage to give it an extra pop of color. (Learn How to Shred Cabbage if you don’t already know!)
- Carrots: Thinly shredded whole carrots or matchstick carrots can be used.
- Onion: A sweet onion is used but red or yellow may be substituted. Green onions also make a wonderful addition when serving.
- Ginger & garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic are both used to add a zippy punch of flavor. To make things easier you can buy the pre-peeled garlic and use ginger paste.
- Soy sauce: Traditional soy sauce works great if you are not avoiding soy or gluten. Tamari Sauce is my favorite soy sauce substitution if you are gluten-free; liquid coconut aminos also work well. Use low sodium soy sauce if you are watching your sodium intake.
- Vinegar: Rice vinegar delivers the most authentic flavor. Apple cider vinegar and white wine vinegar will also work, but the flavor will be different.
- Sesame Oil: Do not leave this very important ingredient out! It gives this dish a unique flavor.
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions.
- Cut the veggies. It is best to slice the cabbage with a very sharp knife and cut it no thicker than ¼- to ½-inch thick. If you didn’t buy matchstick carrots, you’ll need to shred the carrots using either a large food processor or a cheese grater.
- Cook the ground meat. Cook the meat in a large skillet over medium or medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, or until it is almost cooked through. Be sure to break up the meat as it is cooking so there are no big pieces. (I use a potato masher to do this!)
- Mix in the veggies and seasonings. Push the cooked meat to the side of the pan and add the onion and the other tablespoon of oil. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add shredded carrots, garlic, and ginger and sauté for 2 more minutes. Stir the vegetables and turkey together. Pour the chicken broth in the pan and scrape the bottom of it to deglaze it. Add the cabbage, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture well and cover with a lid.
- Cook the cabbage and serve. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cabbage is to your desired tenderness. Just before serving add toasted sesame oil and stir to combine. Top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor. Or sprinkle on some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. You can serve it over white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice or enjoy it by itself!
(Learn more about how to shred cabbage if you’re not sure where to start. Or quickly julienne cut the carrots!)
What to Serve with Egg Roll in a Bowl?
This recipe is already pretty filling on its own, but you can serve it with any of these simple sides.
Asian Cucumber Salad, Air Fryer Asparagus, Chinese Green Beans are all excellent greens.
If you don’t mind carbs, serve it with Instant Pot White Rice, White Rice, Basmati Rice, or Jasmine Rice.
Or top this dish with some Asian Ginger Dressing. Want to up-level the flavor even more? Try a drizzle of some Sriracha Mayo or even this easy Peanut Sauce recipe!
Recipe Variations
There are SO many ways to make this dish your own! Experiment and find your favorite way to dig in.
- Add egg. A fried or poached egg will take this dish over the top!
- Up the veggies. Load it up with even MORE vegetables. Chinese broccoli, zucchini, and squash would taste great in here, too. Use different varieties of cabbage—green or purple cabbage both taste great!
- Lower the sodium. If you’re not on a Paleo, keto, or Whole30 diet you can use regular gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari instead.
- Save time. Opt for a coleslaw mix from the store.
- Switch up the meat. Ground beef, turkey, or pork all are fantastic in the recipe.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the meat and go with tofu, chickpeas, or another meat alternative.
- Kick up the heat. Whip up some Sriracha Mayo.
- Give it a good garnish. Cilantro, peanuts, peanut sauce, cilantro, and lime juice are all excellent toppers.
Storage and Meal Prep
- Prep-Ahead: Chop the veggies and make any sauce you plan to use (like the sriracha mayo!)
- Storage: Store refrigerated for 3-4 days. I would not recommend freezing this recipe. Excess water will accumulate after thawing, which will cause the cabbage to become mushy.
- Reheating: Warm up leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat for the best taste and texture. You can also warm it up in the microwave, but it will be soggier.
More Simple Dinner Recipes
If you are looking for other delicious meals that are low in carbs, try one of these next:
Tap stars to rate!
Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
email this recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 small sweet onion finely diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 small head cabbage about 8 cups shredded
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For Serving (Optional):
- Cooked white rice
- Green onions green parts only, thinly sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sriracha Mayo optional
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until almost cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
- Push the turkey to one side of the pan and add onion and remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shredded carrots, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cabbage, tamari or soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cabbage has reached your desired tenderness. Remove from the heat and add toasted sesame oil.
- Serve egg roll in a bowl over white rice, if using, and top with green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and sriracha mayo, if desired.
Tap stars to rate!
Video
Notes
- Prep-Ahead. This is the perfect make-ahead dish, the flavor marries as it sits, so you can prepare it a couple of days in advance. Or, simply shred the carrots and cabbage the day before to have them ready.
- Storage. Store refrigerated for 3-4 days. I would not recommend freezing this recipe. Excess water will accumulate after thawing, which will cause the cabbage to become mushy. Warm up leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat for the best taste and texture. You can also warm it up in the microwave, but it will be soggier.
- Cabbage. Freshly shredded cabbage is best.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I loved this recipe! Made it into a soup that I could eat 24/7!
I just added extra chicken broth and a little extra seasoning.
Yay! I love hearing this, Dawn. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. What a great idea making it into a soup. Thanks for leaving a comment!
I love this dish and have it on a regular rotation in my home! It’s delicious, it’s easy and it’s nutritious, what’s not to love!!! The only tweek I make to it is to use a less fibrous type of cabbage. I use Savoy because I find it easier to digest. My hubby loves this dish too so win win. Thanks for this one London. :}
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Jo-Anne! Nothing is better when everyone loves a healthy dish. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
I loved this recipe. It was wonderful to enjoy a blending of ingredients that tasted so authentic to the traditional egg roll . I used ground pork and small shrimp. The shrimp added a wonderful flavor. I simply pushed the cooked, ground pork to one side of the pan and lightly sautéed about 15 small shrimp. I set them aside in a bowl to be added again to the pot before serving.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe. What a great idea to use shrimp! Thanks for leaving a comment and a rating Melissa.
This was amazing! Was looking for something different to make with ground turkey and this was perfect! I took the shortcut using a hearty slaw shred from Fresh Express!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
I really enjoyed this recipe! This was so good there were no leftovers!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed he recipe, Valerie! Thank you for leaving a comment and a rating.
Made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it. I used ground beef that I had on hand since I didn’t have ground chicken and it was still amazing. Next time I’ll get ground chicken to make it . This one is definitely a keeper and will be going in the rotation for sure . Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Greg! I love hearing when a recipe becomes a staple. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly but I had chicken for the protein and a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage/carrots. My hubby loves egg rolls, and I’m trying to persuade him the keto is delicious, and he loved this dish.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa! What a great way to make it easier with the coleslaw mix. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Going to have to try this for the family. We are gluten and dairy free, so loving this recipe. We love eggs rolls so this will be a treat.
I hope you enjoy this recipe Ella! It’s one of the most popular ones from my page. Let me know how you like it or if you have any questions.
This was a great, quick dinner. I used a coleslaw mix with cabbage and carrots to save time. I also doubled the amount of each of the seasonings to make it more aggressive. I added sweet and sour sauce, into my bowl, since that’s how I eat my egg rolls. I will definitely be making this again!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Krystal! Coleslaw mix is definitely one of the best ways to make this recipe even easier. Love the idea of enjoying with sweet and sour sauce. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I’ve made this dish over the past couple years, and again tonight for probably the tenth time. My wife says it’s her favorite dish! I don’t stray too far from the recipe, only substituting the coconut for soy sauce (as advised)
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s in our binder of “go-tos”… 🙂
Wow! So happy to hear you and your wife have enjoyed it for so long. And thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating, Chad!