My friend Jillian told me about this cookbook, which I found in Target, bought, perused, latched on to this recipe like it breathed life into me, and since, I’ve made it over and over again.
The cookbook? Skinnytaste Meal Prep
The recipe, Cheeseburger Egg Rolls.
I love these so much, I gave them to Alex in Taking the Leap. They were perfect for her and Rix. I can see it in my head, those two working side by side to chop and brown and roll and eat.
Four things I love so much about these:
- They can be dinner or an appetizer.
- They can be frozen, so you can make a double batch, or if there aren’t many people in your household, a single one and have some left over to freeze and enjoy later.
- You usually have all the ingredients in your kitchen already (I keep egg roll wrappers in the freezer not only for this recipe, but for the buffalo chicken egg rolls from the Dream Bites cookbook).
- They’re fucking delicious and the sauce is insane!
There’s a cauliflower polenta in this cookbook that is off the freaking hook. And the Fiesta Quinoa Salad is life. And the freezer marinades are da bomb. In other words, there’s a lot of goodness in this cookbook, I highly recommend it!
But for this…check it out, make it for you, your fams, your friends…and enjoy!
Alex’s Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil (I use a bit more, this isn't enough to sauté mushrooms in)
- 1 cup White Mushrooms, chopped
- 1 pound Ground Turkey (Skinnytaste recipe says 1 1/4 pound, 93% lean, I just use a package)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 small Onion, chopped (I love food flavored with onion, but a lot of it...no - so I use a half an onion)
- 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 14 Egg Roll Wrappers
- 5 tablespoons Finely Chopped Pickles, drained on paper towels
- Olive Oil Spray
How to do it…
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium high. Sauté mushrooms until turning soft. Add turkey and salt. Break it into small pieces while browning. Make sure this is cooked through. Then add onions, garlic and mustard and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions soften.
- Skinnytaste says drain the mean in a colander (and for the egg roll wrappers, you do not want this to be very damp). However, with little oil, and lean meat, I have yet to make this so there's anything to drain. But if there's something to drain, be certain to do that. Then put the meat mixture in a bowl and mix it with the cheese.
- Now, time to assemble! First, separate your egg roll wrappers. I've made some egg rolls in my time, so I don't do these one at a time and I set up a conveyor belt system. However, if you're new to this, so your wrapper doesn't get too soggy as you're learning, do it one at a time. Have a clean, dry surface and a wee bowl of water ready to dip your fingers in. Have your meat and pickles ready to rumble. Then set the wrapper in front of you, tilted so its diamond shaped. Put a heaping spoonful or a 1/4 cup of the meat on the lower part of the wrapper. Sprinkle chopped pickle on top. Wet your fingers and then wet the edges of the egg roll wrapper. Lift the bottom point of the wrapper over the meat, squish and tuck it in. Be careful, you don't want to rip your wrapper, but just to say, they tend to be sturdy, so if you're cautious, you should be able to squish and tuck without a disaster happening. Then fold the left and right sides toward the center, tucking while rolling until it's a nice little tube o' goodness. Keep going until all the filling is gone.
- If you're serving now: Spray all the sides of the rolls with oil, rubbing it around so it's fully coated. Cook them in an air fryer at 370-375 degrees, 7-8 minutes, flipping them halfway through until golden and crisp. Serve with ketchup, mustard, mayo, or the insanely good dipping sauce (see below).
- If you're freezing: Tuck into a Stasher freezer bag (or other). Make sure there isn't a lot of air in there. Seal. When you're ready, cook from frozen like above, except at 320-325 degrees for 12-14 minutes
- INSANE SAUCE: Combine 1/4 cup (light) mayo, 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon dill pickle juice in a small bowl. ENJOY!
- If you don't have an air fryer: Cook in a 400 degree oven, 12-16 minutes fresh, 18-20 minutes frozen, flipping halfway through.
Notes
I eat these for dinner with sautéed haricot vert and feel very healthy and accomplished and chefy and clever. The freezing option is everything, especially when I get involved in writing a book. I can grab a bag of these in the morning, defrost, fry them up in the evening, and ta da! Yummy dinner I made myself!
Another note: these come out of the air fryer piping hot. Give them a good few minutes to cool down before you take a bite. You'll want to crunch in right away. Don't or you won't taste them because you burned the shit out of your mouth!