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Egg Roll in a Bowl is the best of both worlds – an egg roll and fried rice, all in one spot. This weeknight meal will take less than 30 minutes to get to the table and it sure to be hit with everyone. Egg roll fried rice is the perfect weeknight meal and comes together in a snap.

When I was a kid, Chinese food was my all-time favorite food. If my dad – a single dad stuck with 2 teenage kids and zero cooking skills – would give me free reign to choose takeout for dinner, I always chose our favorite local Chinese food restaurant. It’s still one of my favorite foods – give me lo mien and sesame chicken any day of the week and I’ll be one happy lady.

Luckily, the boys (Alex included!) enjoy it as well. While we occasionally get take out, we tend to make our own at home more and more often these days. It’s a more cost-efficient way to enjoy the food you love and there is no packing the kids up to go pick it up or paying a driver a tip for delivery.

As you probably know by now, I’m a big fan of sneaking veggies into foods my boys already love, which is how this Egg Roll Fried Rice – or egg roll in a bowl – came about. Ryan and Owen love rice but aren’t always willing to go for veggies. I love serving up fried rice because so long as I chop the veggies up small, they either a. don’t even notice they’re eating vegetables or b. are forced to eat them because picking out tiny veggie pieces between rice grains is kind of totally impossible. So it’s a win-win for me.

Okay, it’s a win-win-lose, because oh my goodness, the mess those boys make when they eat rice is kind of obscene.

Anyway, when I first made this egg roll in a bowl, it was because I was craving an egg roll but knew there was no way I would have the time or patience to roll up egg rolls for everyone. So instead, I used our beloved fried rice as a vehicle to cure my craving – and man, was that an amazing idea.

egg roll in a bowl in a white bowl with a large pan of egg roll fried rice in the background

Egg roll in a bowl takes your two Chinese food takeout favorites – egg rolls and fried rice – and mixes them into one family please, veggie packed dinner. The pork and cabbage mixture you typically find in egg rolls is cooked up along with your normal fried rice ingredients in a one pan dinner sure to please.

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It’s also super customizable – switch up the frozen veggies – the boys love peas and corn but really anything smaller (or chopped) would work, so spinach or chopped broccoli would also be a perfect addition. Leave out the eggs, add-in extra, use brown rice instead of white rice, add even more coleslaw mix to increase the veggie to rice ratio, omit the meat, try beef – whatever works for your family, try it!

Want to sneak in more veggies?

A win in our house is using riced cauliflower in substitution for some of the rice. My kids never know, since it doesn’t add must taste, but the veggie impact is huge. Cook it in when you’re adding in the cabbage.

Want to get the kids involved?

While I can’t recommend the kids help with the cookie aspect, they can definitely help with prep. Scrambling eggs, helping to peel ginger (with a spoon!) or using a food chopper to cut the garlic or onion is a great way to get the kids helping.

an overhead shot of egg roll in a bowl in a white bowl on a weathered wood table with a blue gingham napkin and a silver fork to the right.

Tips for making an egg roll in a bowl

Start with less soy sauce – you can always add more, but you can’t take it back out.
Add the rice with the coleslaw if you’d prefer crisper coleslaw. My kids tend to pick at it if it’s crisper, so I like to allow the coleslaw to wilt a bit before adding in the rice.
Only use a tiny bit of sesame oil – the taste is very strong!
If you want to bump up the veggie ratio even more, substitute half of the rice for rice cauliflower. Add after the meat is cooked through and cook one 1-2 minutes before adding the coleslaw.
Use day old or cooled rice when making fried rice!

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We received a huge stainless steel pan like this one when we moved into our house and use it at least once a day. It’s big enough for a huge bath of Mexican fried rice, but also oven safe so you can toss the whole pan in the oven to keep it warm.

Egg Roll Fried Rice

Egg Roll in a Bowl is the best of both worlds - an egg roll and fried rice, all in one spot. This weeknight meal will take less than 30 minutes to get to the table and it sure to be hit with everyone.

Ingredients

2 eggs
3 cups cooled, cooked rice
1 package of coleslaw mix (see notes)
.5 cup frozen peas
.5 cup frozen corn
.5 onion diced
4-5 garlic cloves minced
1 inch of ginger peeled and grated
1 dash of sesame oil optional
.25 cup soy sauce more or less to taste
1 pound ground pork or beef
1 tbs of lime or rice wine vinegar

Instructions

Scramble eggs with about a teaspoon of soy sauce and cook in a pan with a little oil. Set aside.
Add ground pork to a large pan over medium heat. As the pork begins to render, add in the onion, garlic, and ginger. When the pork is cooked through, drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil.
Add lime juice or vinegar and coleslaw and saute with the pork mix. If you wish to have crisper cabbage, also add in the rice at this point. If not, cook 2-3 minutes before adding rice, cooked egg and sesame oil.
Stir often to avoid sticking for about 1-2 minutes until the rice is heated through, and then add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Taste and add more if needed.
In the final minute, add frozen veggies. Once heated through, remove from heat and serve with sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

-If you wish to avoid bagged coleslaw mix, 3-4 cups of finely sliced cabbage and some julienned carrots.

-Be careful with the soy sauce - start small and add more as necessary.

egg roll in a bowl in a large stainless steel skillet with a wooden spoon

So tell me – What’s your favorite combination of foods? Favorite spin on an old favorite? Let me know in the comments!

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Got a picky eater?

My kids eat their veggies every day without complaining. Want my secret?

Grab the Outsmart your Picky Eater cheat sheets to get the inside scoop on how to add veggies to food your kids already love.

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