If you told me that I’d have to eat crack slaw for dinner, I would have given you a look like you had a third eye growing out of your forehead.
And then I would have taken a bite and apologized because YOU GUYS. This stuff is one of THE BEST dinners I’ve made since being on the Whole30.
Well, except for almond crusted baked chicken. That’s pretty epic.
But seriously, egg roll in a bowl (a.k.a. crack slaw) needs to be on your meal plan, STAT.
Before I talk about the recipe, can I talk about the NAME for a minute?
If you’re searching the interwebs, you’ll notice that the names are interchangeable.
I could have called this crack slaw, because it looks a bit like a slaw (a la cilantro lime coleslaw) and it’s addicting like a drug…
But I’ve been giving the kids leftovers for lunch and on the off chance a teacher asked one of them, “What are you having for lunch today?”, I didn’t want to have to deal with the parent phone call that would surely follow if they said crack slaw.
So egg roll in a bowl it is.
Egg Roll in a Bowl (a.k.a. Crack Slaw)
Although my husband still won’t touch ground meat (it’s a texture thing), the kids and I have fully embraced ground meat since we’re trying to do the Whole30 on a budget.
We’re making burgers on Friday nights (since homemade pizza is temporarily off limits) and I’m eyeing these homemade Italian meatballs for the meal plan later this week.
I’m also making a double batch of homemade breakfast sausage every Friday night (while the griddle is out anyway), experimenting with ground pork and/or ground turkey and/or ground chicken. Inevitably though, they’re gone by Tuesday. Maybe I should start making a triple batch…
In either case, I’m making dinners with ground meat more and more often, simply because per pound, I can find good deals AND it stretches to make a lot of food.
Case in point: Egg Roll in a Bowl.
The first time I made this, I used my cast iron skillet.
BIG MISTAKE. HUGE! (Name that movie!)
I know I used my cast iron skillet to take these pictures (this is the cast iron skillet I have), but I also HALVED the recipe when I took these, so trust me when I say not to use your skillet.
You want to use the big pot you use to boil water in to make pasta. You know, that 5 or 6 quart mammer jammer that came with your set? Yep – that’s the one.
You’re going to make this recipe and you’ll need a pot big enough to handle the massive amount of vegetables you’re about to chop up. Be prepared.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for a moment, shall we?
Cabbage
If you think it’s a typo that I wrote NINE cups of cabbage, you’re wrong. You really truly need 9 cups of cabbage. Yes, it sounds like a lot, and yes, it will cook down. Promise.
(Note: If you’re really truly pressed for time, you can buy a couple bags of coleslaw mix. I don’t recommend this though, because you’ll end up spending more than you need to. Green cabbage is super cheap, and it’s easy to slice it up yourself. If you’re making this on a night when you don’t have much time, slice the cabbage up ahead of time. Store it in a container, in the fridge, and it will keep for several days.)
Other Veggies
I’m lumping together onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms because you can still make this crack slaw / egg roll in a bowl if you happen to run out or forget to pick up one of these veggies.
Granted, I don’t want you to make egg roll in a bowl WITHOUT any of these veggies, but I know how life goes sometimes.
If you happen to have sweet peppers, those would be AWESOME in this too. Definitely trying that next time.
Sugar
WHAT?! IS THERE REALLY SUGAR IN THIS RECIPE?!
No, there’s not – haha fooled you! I’m specifically calling out sugar here because while some other similar recipes call for sugar, mine does not.
There is no sweetener of any kind whatsoever. Honestly, you don’t need it. There’s enough hidden sugars in our foods as it is (checked the label of your Worcestershire sauce lately? Or your iodized salt?), that I don’t think adding more sugar to our dinner is necessary.
Optional Ideas for Egg Roll in a Bowl
Leftovers
Um, let’s get real for a minute here. Anytime I make this for all of us (including the hubby, who gets diced chicken instead of ground pork), there are no leftovers.
There was one time when I made this and put away leftovers for lunch while the kids were eating… and then one of them asked for seconds.
So… be prepared to not have leftovers.
On the very slim off-chance you’re able to sneak some into a container and get it in the fridge without anyone noticing, leftovers the next day are THE BOMB.
Sriracha Mayo
I’m pulling the parent card here and calling sriracha mayo mandatory. Really, it’s that good.
- My hubby doesn’t like mayo and he put on gobs of it.
- My daughter who hates everything hot put on gobs of it.
- My son who also doesn’t like mayo but puts homemade Franks hot sauce on EVERYTHING did exactly what my husband did, and then added more.
For real guys, unless you have food allergies, I plead you to at least give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it!
PS – Here’s my recipe for fail-proof homemade mayo. As the title suggests, it really is fail-proof!
One Pan Egg Roll in a Bowl also known as Crack Slaw:
- Make sure you cook this in your largest pot. My 12″ cast iron skillet was NOT big enough!
- To keep your Whole30 budget low, buy your ground meat at a rock bottom price.
- Slice your cabbage ahead of time if the night you meal plan for this will be busy. A food processor (like this one) will help but a good ole knife and cutting board work too!
- We get our ground pork (and other cuts of pork and beef) from Butcher Box. I’ve been very happy with the quality and service. You can read more about my experience HERE.
- Exclusive offer for Crumbs readers!
Right now get 2 lbs of ground beef + bacon + $10 off your first order with Butcher Box! Who would pass up on free meat! CLICK HERE to get your offer!
This meal is featured in my FREE Whole30 Meal Plan!
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 lb ground pork (or other ground meat)
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 4 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce or liquid aminos)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sesame seed oil
- 9 cups shredded cabbage (about 1 pound)
- 2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 large)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 2 ribs)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (about 4 oz)
- ¼ cup mayo (optional)
- 1-4 tsp sriracha or chili paste, to taste (optional)
- In a large 5-6 quart pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until cooked about halfway through.
- Meanwhile, shred the cabbage (if it's not already done). Add onions, ginger, pepper and garlic and cook until the onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add the remaining vegetables, coconut aminos, vinegar and sesame seed oil and cook until vegetables soften. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a small bowl, combine mayo and hot sauce. Mix well and serve as desired with the egg roll in a bowl.
***Guess what?! The same promotion I used to get two FREE pounds of grass-fed beef every month is available again! (Happy dance!)
Butcher Box delivers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised and organic chicken, and heritage pork directly to your front door each month. You can read my honest review on Butcher Box here, and also my updated Butcher Box review here.
The FREE 2lbs of ground beef for life is available now through March 31, 2019, but it’s only while supplies last. They ran out the last time this promotion was available. I highly suggest you take advantage of this deal ASAP if you’re interested in getting two pounds of FREE GRASS-FED GROUND BEEF every single month! Click HERE for ground beef for life.
This looks yummy, Tiffany! We will try it tonight.
Name that movie: Pretty Woman!
LOL – Let me know if you guys like it!
We loved it, even my picky teenage son ate 2 bowls! I used ground turkey (what I had on hand) and it was amazingly good, especially with the sriracha mayo. It was even better the next day. Next time I will use ground pork.
We found this recipe a few months ago and it is delicious. Definitely one of our favorites.
Ditto – do you put the hot mayo on top?
Name of movie: Pretty woman!!!
*high five*
This is such a creative recipe and it looks devine, specially that sriracha mayo, I would also put gobs of that into this amazing dish
Thanks Albert!
I’m doing a whole30 next month. I am totally adding this to my meal plan
Why is this called Egg Roll,. not an egg in sight!! Sounds worth trying anyway. A smaller amount for us, only two. Probably would be let-overs, which are so useful for lunch the next day
You mention there is sugar in iodised salt – why buy this kind when sea salt or Hymalayan salt has no sugar or any additives in it. We never ever buy Table Salt! So m,uch natural sea salt around here in the Algarve, and so cheap!
If you or your kids like something sweet I suggest Stevia, it also has no sugar, and is a natural plant product.
Because this is everything you’d find wrapped up in a typical take-out egg roll. 😉 Natural sea salt must be more affordable where you are, because it’s certainly not here! It costs four times the amount of table salt. I know some people like Stevia, but I prefer to use maple syrup or honey to sweeten. And while on the Whole30, no sweeteners of any kind – including stevia – are allowed.
Love love LOVE this! I found the recipe last year. I wasn’t sure if my hubby would like this, but he loved it. Yay! I took it to a church potluck, and it was a huge hit. I’ve never heard it called crack slaw, just Egg Roll in a Bowl. Mine doesn’t have celery or mushrooms, but it does have onions, and fresh ginger. Otherwise it’s very similar. 😉 It freezes like a dream, too!
I haven’t tried freezing this – great idea! I like adding the celery and mushrooms simply to add more veggies… although 9 cups of cabbage is already a lot!!
How do you freeze this meal? I’m currently pregnant with baby number 4 and trying to triple every meal I make…but honestly I’m clueless about how to go about freezing most things! haha
Just made this tonight, and it was delicious! All of my kids (ages 2-9) ate it with the spicy mayo, which I couldn’t believe. I used only 1/2 lb ground beef (saved the other half pound for another meal!). Lately I have been looking for yummy cabbage recipes to help stretch our grocery budget, and this is definitely getting added to my regular meal rotation! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed this Nicole! Isn’t the spicy mayo AMAZING?!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I used Trader Joe’s sweet chili sauce instead of the mayo dressing and it was great! Will have to try with your sauce next time. I used two bags shredded cabbage at $1.59/bag and half a bag of shredded carrots from Trader Joe’s. Wondering if some slivered almonds or wonton noodles would taste good on top of this? Thanks for this. It’s going in the permanent rotation.
You’re very welcome Meg! I bet the noodles would be a nice crunchy texture. We’re actually having this tonight!!
So simple and sounds delish! Going to try it soon, but since we aren’t doing Whole30, I think I might add ramen or glass noodles! I also have a love/hate relationship with green cabbage, so would likely use Napa instead. You’ve got my mind working on how to adapt this to our family’s likes! I would also like to thank you for the conversation with Mary regarding selective eaters, I am sharing that bit of the comments with my daughter as my grandson is an EXTREMELY selective eater. I like the two bites, no thank you rule. My kids were picky eaters, but nowhere near as bad as the GS is.
You’re very welcome Grammy! I love that you’re adapting this to work for your family. ♥
I will try your “egg roll” as I now have all the ingredients, In Europe it is called “Spring Roll” which I think is better as there are no eggs in it! .As we are not on a starch-free diet, I will make buckwheat and spelt flour gallettes to go with it.
Is sriracha sauce the same as hot sauce?
Sriracha is a variation of hot sauce, so use what you have!
I just made egg roll in the bowl using your recipe. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I just hope it passes the taste test to be done by my husband once he gets home!
I hope so too! How did he like it?
Hi Tiffany, I found your site through your butcher box review. I am keen to try your crack slaw! The only thing is I just have purple cabbage. Would that wreck it from turning everything purple? Or from too strong of a flavor? I was wondering what I would use the remainder of my purple cabbage for and I hate to waste it. Thanks! I liked you on Facebook 🙂
Hi Julie! I’d totally use up the rest cabbage. It might make everything purple, but it would be just as delicious!
Have just made this dish yesterday and are reheating it tonight for supper, when my other son comes on a short visit from England. Am sure he will enjoy it, have made it several times now. I use a cast iron saute pan, as we only need enough for 4 servings. It is a really good dish, thank you for bringing it to my attention!
You’re very welcome Amanda! I’m so glad you and your family like it!
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I would caution you about recommending the sriracha mayo during a Whole30 as it contains sugar and sodium bisulfites which are off limits during a Whole30. If someone is trying to really get the full benefits of the program they should not have sriracha during their 30 days. Louisiana style hot sauce is usually okay, just check your ingredients. Just my two cents worth.
This was SO SOOOOOOOO good!!!!! A win for sure and even better it’s easy because of one large pot is all you need.
My only mod was doing toasted sesame instead of regular. I’m adding this for sure to my weekly Whole 30.
Love this recipe!! I have to leave out the mushrooms for health reasons but it was oh so yummy even without them! We have 3 teenage boys, one high performance swimmer and basketball playing twins just starting a growth spurt. I need a double batch next time! Told our college daughter she could probably make this in her instant pot on simmer since she doesn’t have a stove. Maybe I can even make a triple batch so we have leftovers – fetch the giant stock pot!!
Yes!! Saute/simmer on the IP would work great!! I often make a double batch, going in two pots at the same time. I have a huge stock pot, but I don’t think I have a long enough spoon!
How many heads of cabbage do you need to get 9 cups?
One big one should do it Gay!
I make this. We call it beefy veg because I use ground beef. I also use fresh ginger, but then the kids pick it out, so I think ground ginger, as you suggest, may be a better idea! Aldi has a Thai Peanut sauce that is definitely not Whole 30, but tastes great on beefy veg with coconut oiled rice.