Egg Roll in a Bowl

Seasoned browned pork tossed with a bag of crunchy coleslaw and served over white, steam rice. I truly think this is the champion of lockdown meals, don’t you? 

Since we’re currently living in the Upside Down, aka Lockdown 2020, I’m not able to go to my favorite restaurants in Chinatown or Flushing in Queens. 

One of my favorite parts of the experience is getting a small plate of tightly packed egg rolls. They’re crispy, flaky, steamy, with a crunch inside that makes my heart happy. 

Since we won’t be traipsing down to Chinatown anytime soon, Egg Roll in a Bowl is the next-best thing, especially since it’s so incredibly simple to throw together. You need just 6 ingredients, plus a steamy bowl of white rice- if you prefer. 

Sometimes if I’m feeling a little adventurous, I’ll fry an egg and toss it on the top, along with a drizzle of Chinese hot sauce or sweet and sour sauce. 

I love that this comforting dish can be tossed together quickly on a weeknight. But it’s also a rockstar as a freezer meal! 

This egg roll in a bowl recipe transforms easily into a Freezer Meal Kit. Just pack a bag of browed, seasoned meat along with a bag of coleslaw and the seasonings tossed in. When you’re ready to cook just thaw all the bags, reheat, and serve over freshly made rice. 

Egg roll in a bowl makes a great next-day lunch, too! I like divide portions into glass meal prep containers to stack in the fridge for a quick lunch during the week. Add a microwave pack of Vee-Tee white rice (my go-to microwave rice since it’s so easy and fluffy). 

Once the Egg Roll in a Bowl has been prepared, I can get back to fighting over who gets access to the Zoom room, between my toddler who has a playdate, my kindergartner who has a read-along, and my friends who are waiting for a group happy hour.

Isn’t working from home during a lockdown fun? 😉 

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Ingredients

Protein

ground pork1 pound

Produce

onion1 small, diced
garlic4 cloves, minced
pre-made coleslaw mix8 ounce
lime juice1 tablespoon

Dry Goods

soy sauce3 tablespoon
white or brown rice4 cups, cooked

Spices

ground ginger1 tablespoon

Instructions

I love playing around with different types of prepared slaw mixtures, depending on what’s available in my grocery store. Use the standard mix, or swap in a broccoli slaw, or a brussels sprouts slaw, or even a beet slaw. This is a meal kit, so you’ll store 3 separate bags and then combine them on the day of serving. Crockpot: 

  1. Brown the pork over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon until it cooks. 
  2. Transfer to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients.
  3. Cook on low for 2 hours, high for 1, until onions are cooked through and soft. 
  4. Remove from crockpot and serve over rice. 
Instant Pot: 
  1. Add all ingredient except for rice to slow cooker and secure the lid. 
  2. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes with quick pressure release. 
  3. When the lid can be removed, serve contents over rice. 
Stovetop: 
  1. Brown the ground pork over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. 
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until pork is browned and onions have softened, about 5-8 minutes. 
  3. Remove from heat and serve over rice. 

Prep Plan

Prep it for later:
1. Brown the pork over medium heat, breaking meat up with a spoon until it cooks.
2. Combine browned ground meat, diced onions, and all seasonings in a resealable bag or container.
3. Cook rice according to directions on package and store in a resealable bag or container.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months in the freezer, or 7-10 days in the fridge.

You’ll need:
1 bag or container with browned meat, onions, and seasonings
1 bag or container with cooked rice

Prepare from prepped:
1. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge.
2. Heat the browned meat, onions and seasonings in a large saute pan over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break up and crumble the meat as it cooks, until the pork is cooked through.
3. Stir in coleslaw and serve over cooked white rice.

Crockpot instructions:
1. Place the frozen browned meat, onions, and seasoning in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6, until the meat and onions are cooked through.
2. Stir in the coleslaw and serve.

Instant Pot instructions:
1. Place frozen browned meat, onions, and seasoning into an Instant Pot and secure the lid.
2. Cook on High for 5 minutes with a natural pressure release.
3. Once the lid is removed, stir in the coleslaw and serve over cooked white rice.
4. Stir in the coleslaw mixture until warmed and mixed completely.
5. Serve over rice.