This easy deconstructed spring roll in a jar is a fun and delicious way to get your spring roll fix without having to fry or wrap a roll! Plus it’s easily transported with a mason jar!
Mason Jar Meals: Easy Deconstructed Spring Roll
So the Magic School Bus got rebooted and being one of those kids who grew up watching an episode every morning before leaving for school Monday to Friday, I just had to binge watch the reboot. While watching it, I was reminded of my childhood – how simple things used to be, the lack of bills I had to pay, and of course, my mother.
While watching the show, my heart ached a bit, wanting to be able to turn around and see my mom there, reminding me to hurry up and get ready for school but sadly, she was not. For those of you new here, my mom had passed away when I was in high school and had been a stay at home mom when I was growing up. The nostalgia while watching the Magic School Bus reboot was strong and I found myself yearning for a spring roll that my mom would make for me for special occasions (parties, bake sales, etc).
H knows that I’m picky AF when it comes to spring rolls because I’m in general a picky eater but because my mom would make the spring rolls exactly to my liking. I’m saddened to say that I never got the full recipe from her before she passed away so I’ve been constantly ordering spring rolls at every Vietnamese restaurant I’ve gone to in hopes of finding a new “favourite.” A few places have come close but no one makes it like my momma bear did.
So I decided to try my hand at making my own version. Of course my mom didn’t make it with the traditional ingredients because like I said, I was picky. That means no fish sauce – sorry not sorry. That’s right, despite the Vietnamese food that was fed to me, I would never have fish sauce. Not even the homemade jar that would always be in our fridge (but hey, for all I know, mom hid it in my food but you’d never see my reaching for it willingly!).
What Did I Omit From This Mason Jar Meal?
- wood fungus mushroom
- taro
- egg
- green onion
- sugar
- fish sauce
- oh and the spring roll wrappers of course!
I also changed it up (other than you know, putting it in a jar and not wrapping it in a spring roll wrapper) by keeping the shrimp and pork separate instead of mixing them together.
Make this Easy Deconstructed Spring Roll Faster!
Doesn’t that gif make it look super easy? Well it is! If you want to save time while making this, here are some suggestions:
- buy pre-cooked shrimp
- use coleslaw
- cook the pork and coleslaw together
This deconstructed spring roll in a jar recipe fills around 5 mason jars depending on how tightly you pack it in and how much of each layer you’d like you have.
Easy Deconstructed Spring Roll in a Jar
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 500 grams pork
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
For the Carrots and Cabbage
- 4 carrots, sliced thinly
- ¼ head cabbage, julienned
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or soy sauce
For the Rest
- 350 grams shrimp, deveined, peeled, cooked, cut into 3
- 250 grams rice vermicelli, more or less
- sweet thai chili sauce
Instructions
- In a large non-stick pan, brown the pork then add the oyster sauce, tamari, and garlic powder and cook through.
- Once the pork is cooked through, place your pork to the side on top of some paper towels to absorb the liquid.
- Optional: quickly toss your shrimp in the wok the get some of the flavouring from the pork into the shrimp.
- In the same wok, saute the carrot and cabbage with tamari sauce until it's softened to your liking.
- At the same time, bring a small pot of water to boil. Add your vermicelli and cook it as directed on the bag (it should take less than 6 minutes).
- Once everything is done, layer each ingredient into a mason jar, starting with the sweet Thai chili sauce at the bottom (as much or as little as you prefer). Top with some basil and/or crushed peanuts, if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
So, what do you think? This deconstructed spring roll is an easy grab and go mason jar lunch that is an healthier alternative to a deep fried spring roll!
Want to try a more traditional Vietnamese dish?
Want more mason jar meals?
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Rachel Frutkin says
Sounds amazing! And now you’ve got me craving a spring roll… mmm!
Abbey Sharp says
Been loving all of your mason jar meals, and this one is so creative!
GiGi Eats says
Ohhh! This is VERY inventive!! <3 Reminds me of Vietnam last XMAS because we made spring rolls, but they were totally friedddddd! haha!
Farrah says
Aww, yay for the magic school bus! :D!! I love the idea of this deconstructed spring roll! Hooray for portability!
Shannon @loveatfirstbento says
This is seriously such a good idea – bookmarked for sure! Loving that gif you have too, and all of your pictures are always stunning! And your tips for making things faster and easier? Absolutely love! I cannot get enough of your awesome blog, can’t wait to look through more of your work!
Carmy says
Thanks for your kind words Shannon :)
Lysa says
I made this last week for work and loved it.
Sarah says
I wish your momma was here to teach us both how to make her spring rolls- I’ve never been able to master them! But your version sounds so easy– it’s the roll wrapping that always evades me. I love recreating family recipes! (even if they aren’t always exactly the same as the original!)
michele says
My dad died in high school too and memories of things we did together always make me smile and miss him all in the same moment…. ❤️❤️❤️! Im loving this for a way to leave lunch that is much healthier than what my husband will make himself. The fact its full of so many great flavors and in pre-portioned amounts Is just icing on the cake!
Melissa says
Yum! What a good idea! I love all the mason jar recipes and spring rolls, too, so this is perfect! And I haven’t figured out how to wrap spring rolls, so I love not having to do that step!
Sean says
I love a good spring roll (heck, I generally even love a mediocre spring roll), and I’m liking your deconstructed take too. Your story about your mom was touching – and it made me think about my own kids, in no small part because they’re the ones who love the Magic School Bus (the old one – they’re not digging the reboot). I hope when they grow up that they’ll have fond food memories to work with and adapt like this. Cheers.
Lisa says
Hearing about how you lost your mother so young makes me so sad. We just lost my grandfather (the patriarch of our family) this week and the hurt is deep. The one thing we have are his recipes and the memories of how we enjoyed them together as a family. I love that your Mom made your spring rolls according to your tastes — considerately deferring to the flavors that you appreciated. Isn’t that just like our loved ones? I hope I’m that good. I’ve never actually made spring rolls before, so I’m very happy for this deconstructed version. Definitely less complicated and I really appreciate the meal prep aspect of this recipe.
Donna says
I love this deconstructed version, my tummy cannot handle fried foods anymore at all so I have been avoiding spring rolls for years, and I used to absolutely love them. So easy too, the perfect addition to my husbands lunch for work.
Debra says
OMG…..how easy is this? So much quicker than rolling them up….and this gives everyone a chance to customize, when you may not know exactly what they want. Love the meal prep in a jar. I would take this for lunch every day in various forms. Thanks for the helpful tips and I love your beautiful photos too.
Jennifer Bigler says
So, spring rolls are something that I have loved my entire life. However, I have not had one since going gluten free in 2011. This recipe is the perfect way for me to enjoy something I love again. YAY! I’m going to make these for easy lunches throughout the week.
Amanda says
Deconstructed spring rolls are such a fantastic idea! I always order spring rolls when we go out, and to make an entire jar/bowl of the fillings sounds like a meal I’d love! (Especially since they can be a little heavy with oil when fried in restaurants – love this lightening up version.) You always have the best ideas for meal prep that’s easy and full of flavor!
Marisa Franca says
What a great take-along meal. I haven’t used mason jars for any meals but I think that is such a great idea. I love the taste of spring rolls and this would be so convenient not have to make them in wraps. I’m sharing this recipe with my daughter — her family loves spring rolls.
Kris says
Wow! This looks like a ton of fun and a ton of flavor. Spring rolls are one of my favorite things in the world, and to build one in a mason jar is brilliant. I love the ‘short-cut’ ideas, too. You’re definitely on to something here. I will be making a large batch this Sunday for the week. Thanks for the recipe and inspiration!!