"Egg Roll In A Bowl" Noodle Soup Recipe

If only we could swiftly and easily make a dozen egg rolls every time we have a hankering for the crunchy rolled appetizer. The truth is, egg rolls aren't exactly a quick and easy snack when made from scratch, and we don't always have the good fortune of having a frozen bag ready to go. The next best thing, we've found, is taking all of the delicious elements of a classic pork egg roll and throwing them together into a soup.

In this recipe written with developer Michelle McGlinn, crumbled pork, crunchy Napa cabbage, and tender shiitake mushrooms are swirled into a broth of garlic, ginger, rice wine, and soy sauce. As for the satisfying crunch of the egg roll's outer shell, we've replaced it with smooth, slurpable udon noodles, which transform the soup into a filling meal. If that isn't enough to sell you, it gets better: Unlike egg rolls, this soup is quick and easy to make, coming together in less than 30 minutes. The perfect weeknight bowl of noodles, here we come.

The ingredient list mimics that of a classic pork egg roll, so if you're familiar with that recipe, this one will come easily to you. First, grab plain ground pork (not Italian sausage or breakfast sausage), then grab ginger, garlic, and scallions. Next, you'll need Napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, which can be substituted with green cabbage and creminis in a pinch. From there, grab carrots, canola oil, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, vegetable stock, udon noodles, and sesame oil.

Heat the canola oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and saute until browned and glossy, then remove the mushrooms from the pan.

Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the pork and brown while crumbling into small pieces, about 5 minutes.

Once the pork is beginning to stick to the pot, add the rice wine and stir to scrape up any browned bits.

Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, soy sauce, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.

Add the noodles and cook until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook.

To serve, top with the reserved green scallion pieces and sesame oil.

It's easy to overcook the noodles in a one-pot soup recipe. The combination of ingredients, rapid boiling, and the density of the broth can cause delicate pasta types to break down. If you find that the noodles in your soup are chewy, soggy, or beginning to disintegrate even after watching the clock closely, there are a few tricks you can try.

First, you can cook the noodles in water in a separate saucepan from your soup. This won't add a great deal of cooking time at all, even if your water is slow to boil, because you can begin this at the same time as your pork (or earlier, during prep). Cook and drain the noodles, then add them to your soup and serve immediately. If you are using a thinner noodle, such as vermicelli, you can also soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water instead of boiling. This gently softens the noodles, which then finish cooking in the hot broth of the soup.

An even more common problem is the noodles becoming soggy after storing, when they've soaked up the leftover broth. To avoid this, cook the noodles separately and divide them into bowls for serving. Any leftover noodles, then, can be stored separately and added to the soup when you reheat it.

Just like egg rolls, this soup is customizable and can be added to and changed to mimic your favorite egg roll filling. Instead of pork, try beef, and add gochujang or chili crisp for a touch of heat. Instead of cabbage and carrots, try adding broccoli or bok choy. If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, that can also make a quick and easy addition to egg roll soup.

You can also switch out the noodles to give this soup a new texture. Instead of thick, chewy udon, you can choose thin, wispy vermicelli or curly ramen noodles. You can also use spaghetti, linguini, or angel hair to replicate the same texture. Don't like the idea of noodles in this soup? You can also swap for rice, orzo, or pastina for something a little different. Because rice absorbs the liquid, plan to add an extra cup of broth to the soup before boiling.