With this deconstructed Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe you can enjoy the traditional flavors but in a healthier, Keto and low-carb way! (And in under 30 minutes!) Quickly cook up ground turkey, or another ground meat, with shredded cabbage, carrots, soy sauce and other Asian seasonings in one pot for an easy recipe the whole family will love!
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Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
It was exactly 5 years ago that I first created this easy egg roll bowl recipe.
Since then, it has been the all-time FAVORITE easy dinner recipe on the Evolving Table site, and I think I know why!
- You get all of the delightful Asian flavors of a traditional egg roll but in an easier, deconstructed, inside-out fashion.
- It’s made with healty, low-carb and keto ingredients. (Shredded cabbage and ground turkey, to name a few!)
- All cooked up in a large skillet or one-pot in less than 30 minutes!
Think you’ll miss that fried egg roll wrapper?! I promise you won’t.
(Want to take it up a notch? Next time drizzle some of this Sriracha Mayo made with sriracha sauce to give it a spicy kick!)
Ingredients
- 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. Finally, liquid coconut aminos are free from gluten and soy and make a great Whole30 and Paleo substitute. Use low sodium soy sauce if you are watching your sodium intake.
- Vinegar: Rice vinegar delivers the most authentic flavor. Apple cider vinegar is the second best one to use and is a great Whole30 and Paleo substitute for rice vinegar. White wine vinegar will work if that is all you have.
- Sesame Oil: Do not leave this very important ingredient out! It gives this dish a unique flavor.
Recipe Tip
Instead of shredding your own cabbage and carrots, you can buy a bag of coleslaw mix without the dressing to save time!
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed instructions and ingredient measurements.
1. Cut the Cabbage
How thinly you shred the cabbage makes a big difference on the finished recipe. For the cabbage, it is best to slice it 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.
(Learn more about how to shred cabbage if you’re not sure where to start. Or quickly julienne cut the carrots!)
2. 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!)
3. Mix in 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.
4. Cook 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!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. (This makes a great recipe to meal prep for busy weeks!)
Want to up-level the flavor even more? Try a drizzle of some Sriracha Mayo or even this easy Peanut Sauce recipe!
What is Egg Roll in a Bowl?
An Egg Roll in a Bowl combines all the flavors and fillings of a traditional egg roll, but skips the wrapper. This method is great when you are looking to cut calories or carbohydrates.
FAQs
Usually, egg rolls contain vegetables like cabbage, carrots, or onions along with meat, typically pork, turkey, or shrimp.
Full of fresh ingredients, a serving of egg roll in a bowl is under 300 calories, making it a relatively low-calorie food option.
Unfortunately, egg roll in a bowl does NOT freeze well. The cabbage will wilt and lose its flavor and texture.
Recipe Tips
- Make it colorful. Use different varieties of cabbage—green or purple cabbage both taste great!
- Choose your favorite. Ground beef, turkey, or pork all are fantastic in the recipe.
- Adjust to your meal plan. If you’re not on a Paleo, keto, or Whole30 diet you can use regular gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari instead.
- Pack a punch. Load it up with even MORE vegetables. Chinese broccoli, zucchini, and squash would taste great in here, too.
- Top it off. This dish is fantastic on white or brown rice. Or make it healthier on riced cauliflower. But, it is also delicious by itself!
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.
More Low-Carb Dinner Recipes
If you are looking for other delicious meals that are low in carbs, try one of these next:
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Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. oil avocado or olive, divided
- 1 lb. ground turkey pork or beef, 90/10 or 93/7
- 1 ½ cups sweet onion finely diced
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ tsp. ginger paste or minced ginger
- ¼ cup chicken broth regular sodium
- 6 cups shredded cabbage cut into ¼-inch shreds
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce Tamari or coconut aminos, gluten-free*
- 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¾ tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds optional
- Green onions optional
Instructions
- Cook Ground Meat: In a large saute pan over medium heat drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and add ground meat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until turkey is almost cooked through.2 Tbsp. oil, 1 lb. ground turkey
- Sauté and Deglaze: Push turkey to the side of the pan and add onion and other tablespoon of oil. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add shredded carrots, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Stir the vegetables and turkey together. Pour chicken broth in the pan and scrape the bottom of it to deglaze it.1 ½ cups sweet onion, 1 cup carrots, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp. ginger paste, ¼ cup chicken broth
- Mix in Cabbage and Seasonings: Add cabbage, coconut aminos or soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cabbage is to your desired tenderness.6 cups shredded cabbage, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, ¾ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper
- Finish with Toppings: Add toasted sesame oil just before serving and top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve over regular rice, cauliflower rice, or eat it in a bowl by itself.1 tsp. toasted sesame oil, Green onions, Toasted sesame seeds
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Notes
- Make it colorful. Use different varieties of cabbage—green or purple cabbage both taste great!
- Choose your favorite. Ground beef, turkey, or pork all are fantastic in the recipe.
- Adjust to your meal plan. If you’re not on a Paleo, keto, or Whole30 diet you can use regular gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari instead.
- Pack a punch. Load it up with even MORE vegetables. Chinese broccoli, zucchini, and squash would taste great in here, too.
- Top it off. This dish is fantastic on white or brown rice. Or make it healthier on riced cauliflower. But, it is also delicious by itself!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so delicious, I can eat this every day!! Thanks!!
Yay, Maryse! So so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Do you drain the juice from the meat prior to adding the onions ??
Hi Amber! Great question. It totally depends on how much juice you have and how lean/fat your meat is. If it looks like a lot, drain it and add back 2 tablespoons. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Wow, Best super healthy thing I’ve eaten in a long time! I used turkey sausage since that is what I had and added a small dash of Korean BBQ sauce. It is amazing.
I bet it was amazing with the BBQ sauce! What a great idea, Mikki! Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
This is delish! I just used two bags of shredded cabbage with a few strips of carrots in it which made a perfect Keto dish. We all enjoyed this!
What a great idea, Sue! So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for your comment and review 🙂
This recipe is so good! Making it for the second time, tonight. 🙂
Yay!! So so happy you enjoyed it so much, Maria! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
The reviews on this recipe are spot on. This dish is quick, easy and most importantly, DELISH! Going on the regular menu rotation. Thanks for a great recipe!
WooHoo!! Happy to hear it made the menu rotation, Jennifer! Thanks for your comment and rating!! 🙂
Sweet baby geezus this was soooo much better than I expected. Only adjustment I made is that I added a little more toasted sesame oil. Great recipe!
A little extra sesame oil was probably delicious, Jackie!! Thanks for the comment and rating!!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe. Can hardly wait to make this again. Thanks so much for sharing.
Yay, Barbara!! I am SO happy you enjoyed it so much. Thanks for your comment and rating!
I made this tonight and it was so good! I doubled the sauce because I just like a lot of flavor. Will definitely make this again! Thanks!
That was such a great idea, Heather!! Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You’re so very welcome, Nancy! Thanks for the comment! 🙂