Egg Roll in a Bowl

This low-FODMAP egg roll in a bowl delivers the flavor of the classic filling by browning ground pork with capped common cabbage, then swapping onion and garlic for garlic-infused oil and scallion green tops.

Prep 15 min

Cook 15 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided
• 1 lb (450g) ground pork
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 280g (about 3 cups loosely packed) shredded common green cabbage, which keeps each of the 4 servings to roughly 70g and under the 75g cap
• 1 medium carrot (about 60g), peeled and shredded or julienned
• 2 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 4 scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• 2 large eggs, optional

Instructions

Prep the aromatics and vegetables

1. Grate the ginger and slice the scallion green tops, keeping them separate. Discard or freeze the white bulb ends, which are high in fructans.
2. Shred the cabbage and carrot. Weigh the cabbage so the total stays at 280g for four servings.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the tamari, rice vinegar, and maple syrup.

Brown the pork

1. Heat the garlic-infused oil and 1 tsp of the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add the ground pork and cook, breaking it up, until it is no longer pink, about 5 to 6 minutes. Pork is safe at an internal temperature of 160F (71C).
3. Stir in the grated ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add cabbage and finish

1. Add the cabbage and carrot. Cook, tossing often, for 4 to 5 minutes until the cabbage wilts but keeps some crunch.
2. Pour in the tamari mixture and toss to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until the liquid mostly cooks off.
3. If using eggs, push the mixture to one side, scramble the eggs in the cleared space, then fold them through.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in most of the scallion greens and the remaining 1 tsp sesame oil. Taste and adjust with salt and white pepper. Divide into 4 bowls and top with the reserved scallions and sesame seeds.

Tips & Substitutions

• Swap the protein. Ground chicken, turkey, or beef all work in place of pork. Cook chicken and turkey to 165F (74C) and beef to 160F (71C).
• Cap the cabbage. Common green cabbage is tested low-FODMAP at 75g per serving, so weigh it rather than eyeballing. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes before you scale the recipe up.
• Skip bottled stir-fry sauces. Hoisin, oyster sauce, and most premade egg roll or stir-fry sauces contain onion and garlic. The tamari, vinegar, and maple mix here gives you savory and tangy notes without them.
• Add heat carefully. A little fresh red chili is a safer bet than sriracha or chili-garlic sauce, which usually list garlic. A pinch of plain chili flakes also works.
• Use green tops only. The green parts of scallions carry allium flavor without the fructans found in the white bulb, so trim and discard the white ends.
• Make it eggier. Fold in a second scrambled egg, or crown each bowl with a fried egg to lean into the egg roll theme.

Why This Works

• Garlic-infused oil, not bulbs. Garlic fructans do not dissolve into oil, so infused oil carries the flavor while leaving the FODMAPs behind.
• Cabbage stays under the cap. Portioning the common cabbage to about 70g per bowl keeps the fructan and polyol load in the tested low-FODMAP range.
• Scallion greens for allium flavor. The green tops read as onion without the fructans concentrated in the white base and standard onion.
• Tamari as a clean seasoning. Gluten-free tamari seasons the dish in place of onion- and garlic-laden bottled sauces, keeping the bowl both gluten-free and low in FODMAPs.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat single portions in a skillet or microwave until steaming, adding a splash of water if the cabbage looks dry. This dish freezes for up to 2 months, though the cabbage softens on thawing, so it suits reheated bowls better than fresh-crisp servings. Keep track of portions so each reheated serving still holds to the 70g cabbage amount.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.