Name: Egg Roll in a Bowl (with Ground Beef)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef* (93% lean, 7% fat); 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped); 2 large carrots (peeled and shredded); 1 bunch green onions (chopped; whites and greens separated); 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (use 1 teaspoon if you are using table salt); 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste); 4 cloves garlic (smashed and minced); 2 (10-ounce) bags coleslaw angel hair ((20 ounces cabbage total)); 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon miso paste (optional); 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (optional); 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced ); 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (to garnish); toasted sesame seeds (to garnish); 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (or to taste); 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (optional)

Egg roll in a bowl is the BEST high protein, low carb dinner! I love me a classic egg roll (in all its fried glory), but don’t sleep on what’s inside. Beef and finely shredded carrots and cabbage meld together with the perfect sauce, all cooked in a skillet in 30 minutes. Then top it with Sriracha-mayo! It’s easy, it’s FAST, it’s healthy, and the whole family loves it. Win!

A close-up of a bowl filled with white rice and a colorful stir-fry topped with sliced green onions, shredded carrots, black sesame seeds, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of creamy orange sauce.

Edison is 6. He says: “Mom, someday when I am big and I have my own house…are you going to make more kids?”

Ha! Can you imagine?? Me, the source of all children, a veritable Eve, lol. Sorry kiddo, this shop is closed! Kids are so funny. I explained to him that someday he would grow up and get married and make his OWN kids…He was deeply unimpressed.

But then I told him that I would get to be their grandma. He perked up at this idea! “And will Dad be a GRANDPA??” Yes! Ahh, the circle of life guys.

Okay now let’s talk CABBAGE SHRED. Have you tried Egg Roll in a Bowl before? It’s become quite popular lately. Never have I been more in love with angel hair coleslaw! I’ve been making versions of this for years and have finally nailed down my process! You are going to love this meal.

I’ve been in a calorie deficit the last few weeks, trying to get ahead for our summer trips (I plan on eating gelato 3x a day…) and this recipe has come in clutch.

A skillet filled with a colorful mixture of shredded vegetables and ground meat, topped with chopped green onions, cilantro, and a drizzle of creamy sauce. A spoon rests in the skillet for serving.

A quick and easy HEALTHY dinner

Dinner is a daily conundrum as it is, but add in qualifiers like “healthy” or “done in 30 minutes” or “my kids won’t spit it out into their napkins,” and the field of options starts to narrow. That is why a meal like today’s is perfect. It’s SO fast, plus it’s full of lean protein and good-for-you veggies.

If my 6-year-old will scarf a whole bowl of this and ask for more, that’s when you know it’s a winner! It’s also really easy to customize for your people, more on that below!

A close-up of a fork picking up a bite of rice topped with ground meat, shredded carrots, green onions, sesame seeds, and a creamy orange sauce.

The sauce is boss.

If you have a good set of Asian pantry supplies, this dinner comes together cheap and easy. Most recipes for Egg Roll in a Bowl add in some soy sauce and rice vinegar…and that’s it. But if you can handle just a few more (mostly) shelf-stable add-ins, you will level up this dish a ton.

Soy sauce and rice vinegar provide the perfect umami and balance.
Hoisin sauce is kind of like Chinese BBQ sauce. It’s good on anything and adds the perfect depth of flavor here!
Sesame oil is rich and nutty. I LOVE the flavor, it’s quite distinct from normal veggie oils.
Miso paste is an all-around flavor enhancer, and the secret ingredient to a lot of Asian dishes. Similar to adding chicken bouillon to a sauce, miso packs in a ton of umami and richness. You can skip it, but I highly recommend trying it out!
Sriracha-mayo is the sauce that goes on TOP of your egg roll in a bowl, after it’s done cooking. It’s just 2-3 ingredients, takes 2 minutes to put together, and makes this dish ultra creamy and delicious!!

Fun twists on the recipe:

Put an egg on it: If you want to up the protein, add in an egg or two once the ground beef is cooked, a sprinkle of salt, and stir it around to scramble. YUM.
Change the protein: You can sub the beef for ground chicken, turkey, or even pork! But….I like beef best. Just sayin.
Wrap it: Not as low carb, but this is really good rolled up inside a tortilla. Then you can eat it on the go if you need to!
Dumb down the sauce. I know I just told you all about how awesome the sauce is, but if you are in a hurry or don’t have everything, you can skip the hoisin sauce, the miso paste, or the sriracha!

A bowl filled with white rice, shredded carrots, chopped greens, sautéed veggies, and a creamy orange sauce, garnished with black sesame seeds and sliced green onions. A spoon rests in the bowl.

Key ingredients

Aside from the sauce, here’s a look at the other most important ingredients in this recipe. Check out the recipe card for the full ingredient list and instructions!

Ground beef, I prefer lean for this recipe so it doesn’t make the bowl greasy. You can easily use lean ground chicken, turkey, or even pork instead of beef! But….I like beef best. Just sayin.
Carrots add the perfect sweetness and such a pretty color.
Fresh aromatics will get cooked in the mix, but they make a huge difference in the flavor. Fresh green onions, garlic, ginger, and cilantro totally deliver!

How to make egg roll in a bowl

Okay here’s your lineup! I know it looks like a lot, but I promise it comes together fast. If this is your first time buying any Asian pantry items, you are in luck, because now you can easily make Korean Beef Bowls, Kung Pao Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Orange Chicken and sooo many more Asian dishes!

Assorted ingredients on a counter including ground beef, shredded cabbage, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mayonnaise, sesame oil, sugar, fresh ginger, green onions, a cucumber, and a bag of shirataki noodles.

Start by chopping up your veggies. Aren’t green onions so pretty? We are splitting them in half. Cook the white parts first, then add the green (milder) parts later as a garnish.

Two images: The top shows whole green onions, both white and green parts, arranged on a wooden cutting board next to a knife. The bottom shows chopped green onions and sliced jalapeño on the same board.

Chop up your jalapeno too! I like to take out the seeds, but you can leave them in it you want!

Three whole carrots, a partially peeled carrot with a vegetable peeler, and a pile of carrot peels are on a wooden cutting board.

Now shred up some carrots.

Two images: The first shows a hand grating a carrot on a box grater over a wooden cutting board. The second shows a pile of freshly grated carrot on the board, with some carrot pieces and a knife nearby.

This is the part where I messed up for this photo shoot 🤦‍♀️ I forgot to add in the carrots! Add them in in the beginning, with the green onions, in the photo below. Still don’t know how I missed this 😅 too much going on in my brain!! (#charlatan)

Two images of a cast iron skillet with ground beef and chopped green onions being cooked. In the second image, the mixture is sprinkled with seasonings and stirred with a wooden spoon.

Add in some garlic after the beef is browned:

Ground beef is being cooked in a black skillet with chopped green onions and minced garlic, stirred with a wooden spoon. The skillet rests on a striped cloth.

Then add in your cabbage. This looks like enough right?

A black skillet filled with cooked ground meat and chopped green vegetables, topped with a large mound of shredded cabbage, sits on a striped towel with a wooden spoon on the side.

WRONG. Add it all in, 20 ounces. it will cook down a ton.

Then start adding in your sauce ingredients, right into the pan, no need to combine them separately. Soy sauce…

Two photos show a hand with purple nail polish adding liquid ingredients with a tablespoon to a skillet filled with cooked ground meat and shredded cabbage, being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Rice vinegar, hoisin, sesame…

Two images show a hand holding a measuring spoon above a skillet filled with shredded cabbage, vegetables, and ground meat. In the first, dark sauce is being added; in the second, a lighter sauce is being poured in.

Below is what miso looks like. It’s a light brown paste:

Two images: The top shows a hand holding a spoonful of peanut butter over a skillet filled with cooked beef, cabbage, and sauce. The bottom shows sriracha being squeezed into the same skillet mixture, with a wooden spoon in the pan.

You can dump in as much sriracha as you want. Live your best life!!!

Take it off the heat and add in your cilantro and green onions (and your separately sauteed carrots, if you are a dork like me and forgot them haha.)

Ground beef, shredded cabbage, and onions cooked in a black skillet, topped with chopped fresh green onions and herbs. The skillet sits on a woven mat beside a striped towel.

And that’s it! This recipe really is THAT easy!!

A close-up of a bowl filled with white rice and a colorful mixture of sautéed vegetables, shredded carrots, green onions, and sauce, garnished with a drizzle of creamy dressing. A spoon rests inside the bowl.

Toss it in a bowl with some white rice and drizzle with the sriracha mayo. SOO good!

What to serve with egg roll in a bowl

Not gonna lie, I’ve definitely had just this and nothing else for lunch! But when I’m wanting to round out the meal, these are some amazing options:

Rice! I love this with basic White Rice, or Brown Rice adds some nice chew, or Coconut Jasmine Rice has the BEST flavor. Or if you want to keep things low-carb or have extra veggies, you can even serve this over Cauliflower rice!
Asian Cucumber Salad, Thai Cucumber Salad, or Quick Pickled Red Onions would be so good to add on top or alongside your bowl
Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli go with just about any meal, in my opinion, and my kids always eat it up

How to store leftovers

Transfer the cooled mixture to an airtight container. It will stay good in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days and works really well for meal prep! Reheat in the microwave at 50% power for 2-3 minutes.

You can also freeze leftovers, whaaat! Score. They can be stored in individual freezer safe containers for meal prep. Or, if you want to freeze it all together for a family meal in the future, you can put the mixture in a freezer ziplock bag. It will last in the freezer for about 2-3 months. Thaw the container or bag in the refrigerator over night, then microwave individual portions in the microwave. Larger portions can be heated in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.