Whether you are on a low carb diet or just want an easy dinner recipe, this egg roll in a bowl is what you need! This whips up in less than 20 minutes and can be eaten alone or in a lettuce wrap.
Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl
Egg rolls are a favorite treat around here, the crispy shell and delicate filling are a perfect snack or addition to rice and sticky chicken!
But sometimes I just want the taste of an egg roll without needing to make the wrappers, fill, and fry the egg rolls.
A few years ago I started making this egg roll in a bowl recipe, and I'll confess, I haven't made "real" egg rolls ever since! This recipe is so simple that it has won our hearts!
What's In An Egg Roll?
While there are many different variations of egg roll filling, it generally comes down to a few standard items.
Egg roll filling is made mostly of shredded cabbage, various other vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, and onions, and then ground or chopped meat, such as beef, pork, or chicken.
This recipe calls for shredded cabbage and carrots, though you can throw in any additional vegetables you want and I'm sure it would still be delicious!
We also use ground beef in our egg roll bowl, however, ground or chopped chicken or pork would also be amazing!
Egg Roll in a Bowl Ingredients
This recipe calls for coconut aminos, which may be foreign to you, so I wanted to talk about that for a second. Coconut aminos are used in place of soy sauce for people with soy allergies, or when doing a paleo or GAPS diet where soy is not allowed.
While you can (and I have) used soy sauce instead, I find that the recipe really tastes best with the coconut aminos.
Soy sauce is more salty and the coconut aminos are a bit more sweet, which enhances the flavor of the cabbage and carrots nicely and offsets the heat of the ginger nicely.
However, if you don't have any coconut aminos, or just really love soy sauce, feel free to use that instead! I would add a tablespoon of honey to the recipe if you choose to use soy sauce.
Here is a quick look at all the ingredients in this recipe for egg roll in a bowl:
- Ground Beef: Provides a hearty and flavorful base for the dish. You can use ground pork or chicken instead if you'd like.
- Green Cabbage: Adds a crisp and refreshing texture to the bowl.
- Carrots: Offers a touch of sweetness and vibrant color.
- Sesame Oil: Provides a rich and nutty flavor to enhance the dish. Substitute peanut oil or vegetable oil for a milder flavor.
- Coconut Aminos: Adds a savory and slightly sweet taste. Or you can use soy sauce or tamari instead, (add 1 tablespoon of honey for balance if not using coconut aminos).
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the dish.
- Pepper: Adds a mild heat and depth of flavor.
- Garlic: Provides a pungent and aromatic taste.
- Ginger: Adds a zesty and slightly spicy note.
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
This recipe is one of the fastest and easiest dinner recipes I have in my recipe collection. It's so full of flavor and comes together quickly. Once you try it, you'll be hooked!
- Saute: Cook ground beef in a skillet, seasoning it with salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Shred: Use a food processor or cheese grater to shred cabbage and carrots separately.
- Combine: Add shredded carrots and sesame oil to the cooked meat, stirring well. Cook until carrots start to soften.
- Incorporate: Add remaining ingredients to the pan, including cabbage, coconut aminos (or soy sauce with honey), and ginger. Stir well to combine.
- Cook: Continue cooking until the cabbage softens, allowing the flavors to meld together. Adjust ginger to taste.
- Serve: Enjoy Egg Roll in a Bowl alone or wrapped in a lettuce leaf for a refreshing twist.
This is the food processor we have and love. We got it as a wedding gift 18 years ago and have used it for everything from chopping veggies, to making pie crust! It's amazing!
Best Lettuce for Egg Roll in a Bowl Wrap
If you like a little crunch with your egg rolls, but don't want to make the wrappers... just do what I do and use lettuce instead! Lettuce wraps are still low carb and keto, but you get that incredible crunch factor still.
I've found that the best types of lettuce for egg roll bowl wraps are iceberg and buttercrunch. Due to their shape, you can really create a great wrap.
Romaine and green leaf lettuce are not built for wraps, and they don't have the same crunch, so skip them if you can!
Egg Roll in a Bowl FAQ
Here are a few commonly asked questions I've gotten regarding this egg roll bowl recipe.
Yes! We actually love taking this on the road with us when we travel, because it's still delicious cold! I pre-wash lettuce shells and we take a container of this in our picnic basket for a healthy meal on the go!
Since we don't own a microwave, we heat things up on the stove or in the oven. For this dish, we throw a bit of butter or coconut oil in the skillet and toss the egg roll bowl until it's warm.
Be careful to stir well while you're heating or it will stick to the pan!
Yes! You can either freeze the finished recipe after cooking, or you can just freeze the shredded cabbage and carrots. That's what I do. Then I just dump the vegetables into the pan and finish the recipe fresh. This way I can save the shredding step, but still have the texture of the fresh meal.
To reheat the frozen meal: Just thaw overnight in the fridge and pan fry to the desired temperature.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
Ready for more dinner ideas that are ready in less than 30 minutes? Here are a few of our favorite easy dinners from our kitchen to yours!
Egg Roll in A Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2.5 pounds green cabbage (1 medium head)
- 1-2 lbs carrots
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (see post for note on using soy sauce instead)
- 1 tsp salt (plus more for meat)
- 1 tsp pepper (plus more for meat)
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic, ground (plus more for meat)
- 1-2 Tbsp ginger, ground (to taste)
Instructions
- Saute meat in large skillet, season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic.
- Shred carrots and cabbage (separately) in a food processor or with a cheese grater.
- Add carrots and sesame oil to meat and stir well. Cook until carrot start to soften.
- Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir well. Continue cooking until cabbage starts to soften. Season with ginger to taste. More ginger will cause the dish to be much hotter.
- Serve alone or in a lettuce wrap.
Notes
Nutrition
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Lesa says
Just tried your egg roll in a bowl recipe (using the lettuce wraps) and really enjoyed it. I used ground venison and it turned out perfect. Really easy and simple but great tasting!
Victoria says
Yay Lesa, I’m so glad! We made this for dinner tonight too actually (we have it often, because it is just so easy!) and we made ours with ground sirloin. I bet it was delicious with venison!