Inside Out Egg Rolls Recipe
Learn how to make inside out egg rolls! This egg roll stir fry gives you all of the flavors of your favorite Chinese takeout egg rolls without the fried outer wrapper!
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice, dry (brown rice or white rice)
- 1 lb ground pork (454 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium red pepper, chopped small 8 ounces (227 grams); chopped into ½-inch (1.27 cm) dice
- 10 ounces shredded green cabbage (283 grams)
- 2 medium carrots, shredded 4½ ounces (128 grams)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 5 scallions, sliced (green and white parts divided)
- 8 ounces canned sliced water chestnuts, drained 227 grams; I typically slice them even smaller
- 8 ounces canned bamboo shoots, drained (227 grams)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup chipotle lime mayo (store-bought or use this chipotle lime mayo recipe)
Instructions
- Clean and shred or chop all your veggies before you begin as directed in the ingredients list. Once you start cooking, everything comes together quickly! A food processor with a shredding disc is helpful for the cabbage and carrots.
- Cook the rice in water in a small pot according to its package directions. Brown rice takes about 45 minutes, and white rice 15 minutes, so prepare the rest of the meal while it cooks.
- Brown the pork and garlic over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Break the pork up with a metal spatula while it cooks. It will take about 10 minutes.
- Add the red pepper, cabbage, carrots, ginger, white parts of the scallions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, rice vinegar, and soy sauce to the pork. Cook until the cabbage softens without browning, stirring frequently. It will take about 10 minutes. (Turn the heat to medium-low if the veggies are browning too quickly.)
- Note: toasted sesame oil is intended for finishing with flavor, not cooking. Stir it in after the veggies are done cooking if you’re concerned about its oxidative stability. I tend to be lazy about this, but it’s a good thing to do.
- To serve, plate your cooked rice and your pork and vegetable mixture. Drizzle with chipotle mayo (thinned with water if needed) and sprinkle on the sliced scallion greens. I like to stir it all together before digging in!
Notes
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). This dish is a nutritious alternative to your typical fried egg roll... but that doesn’t mean it’s lower in calories.
There are around 200 calories in an egg roll (depending on the type and size). However, a classic egg roll is not intended to be a meal by itself.
If you want to make this egg roll bowl friendly for weight watchers, it’s easy to do. Consider swapping the pork for a lean protein, such as ground chicken or ground turkey. You could also try either skipping the rice or swapping it for cauliflower rice.
You can find frozen cauliflower rice in bags that are ready for the microwave. This will be a huge time saver compared to cooking brown rice. Ditching the rice also makes this dish a low carb meal that’s under 500 calories.
If you lean towards a low-fat diet, aside from choosing a lean protein, you may want to skip the mayo drizzle. Mayo is usually made from oils high in unsaturated or monounsaturated fats, not saturated fats. That said, it’s a very high calorie condiment, adding 90-100 calories per tablespoon.
IMVHO, the dish doesn’t work as well if you try to skip the mayo but keep the rice. I felt the dish needed a little something extra to heighten the flavor of the plain rice.
If your goal is weight loss, remember that you must create a calorie deficit to lose weight. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a low carb or low-fat method, or whether you’re actually counting calories or not. Eating lots of non-starchy veggies and high-quality protein may help you to feel full on fewer calories.
Nutrition information is for one serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 638kcalCarbohydrates: 55.9gProtein: 24.9gFat: 34.6gSaturated Fat: 7gFiber: 7.9gVitamin A: 143.2% DVVitamin C: 173.2% DVCalcium: 24.3% DVIron: 21% DV
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