The Store-Bought Item That Makes Prepping Homemade Egg Rolls A Breeze

As far as appetizers go, egg rolls are the one that we could completely gorge ourselves on. Forget fried rice or beef and broccoli with noodles; egg rolls' crunchy exterior, delicate veggies, and savory meat is all we need. Once you get the hang of it, making egg rolls at home isn't difficult. However, chopping up all the cabbage and carrots can certainly be tedious. Luckily, you don't have to. Save yourself some time and just get a bag of coleslaw instead.

Egg rolls aren't complete without the carrots and cabbage lodged inside them. Each crisp bite yields an outpouring of the tender vegetables, imbuing the appetizer with an earthy, sweet flavor. But God, they're such a pain to cut up. The rolls need finely shredded cabbage and carrots, though, so we'll take a shortcut any way we can get it. And using store-bought coleslaw isn't much different than cooking with veggies that you chopped yourself.

The coleslaw you choose should also be the right size for the egg rolls, but if not, you can pulse it in a food processor like we do in our vegetarian egg rolls recipe. Using the appliance also allows you to slip in extra ingredients for the filling, like green onions or bean sprouts. Otherwise, simply rinse the coleslaw mix and pat it dry before sautéing it with your protein of choice.

When you stop by the produce aisle to pick up some coleslaw, don't just go for any old bag. Each pack of coleslaw can be made with a different type of cabbage, which will ultimately impact the flavor of your egg rolls. The most common type you'll probably run into is green cabbage. Thanks to its mild flavor, this variety is the best type of cabbage for a balanced coleslaw. It won't overpower your protein by any means, but it can also be dressed up if you prefer. To give it a flavorful kick, add soy sauce, ginger, and green onions like we did with our classic shrimp egg rolls.

Red cabbage, on the other hand, is packed with a bite. It's peppery and turns a little sweet when cooked. You'll typically see green cabbage used for egg rolls, but red cabbage makes incredible Asian-inspired coleslaw that can translate to even more delicious egg rolls. You can play up the peppery flavor with some ginger or chili powder, and bring out the sweetness with some seasoned rice vinegar. Since it does have a bolder, sweeter flavor, pair it with savory proteins like chicken or mushrooms.