These quinoa spring rolls are actually not spring-like at all. They're filled with winter-inspired ingredients like kale, sweet potato + quinoa!
There's something just a tiny bit odd about combining classic winter produce into a dish with the word “Spring” in the title, but we're just going to roll with it. Because these quinoa spring rolls are totally amazing and make for one light and tasty (and resolution-friendly!) meal.
If you aren't already familiar, spring rolls are commonly found in Asian cuisine and are essentially burritos with an Asian twist. They're rice papers filled with whatever you'd like – usually veggies, noodles and sometimes a protein. Luckily for those of us who are gluten-free, you can pretty much count on spring rolls being a GF-friendly option, just make sure they're not fried or have any added soy sauce.
Typical veggies found in spring rolls include carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, avocado, bean sprouts and thai basil. Most of those aren't in season at the moment (except for carrots), and are quite expensive at the store, so instead, I opted for what I could find at the farmer's market this week: kale, sweet potato and garlic.
This winter-inspired spring is far from traditional, but that's okay because it's filled with nutritious ingredients. In fact, the only thing remotely traditional about them is that we do actually use of rice paper, but even then I opted for the healthier brown rice version to boost nutrition even more.
The filling is simple. It's just a quick massaged kale salad tossed with some quinoa and then layered sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil. The dressing for the salad doubles as the dipping sauce too, so prep is totally minimal.
For the sauce…oh the sauce…the base is my fave: tahini. Then comes the garlic which is freshly grated for a nice bite, along with a splash of lemon juice, some miso paste, some ginger (which is totally optional) and some water to thin it out. Whisk it together, toss it over the kale and quinoa, drizzle some on top and then reserve the rest for dunking.
All that's left is to wrap these beauties up like little burritos and get to dippin'! (and eating of course)
More Scrumptious Spring Roll Recipes to try:
- Quinoa Summer Rolls with a Thai Peanut Sauce
- Vegetable Quinoa Spring Rolls
- Quinoa + Hummus Zucchini Roll-Ups
- Vegetable Cauliflower Rice + Quinoa Sushi
Sweet Potato, Kale + Quinoa Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato diced
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 cups kale
- 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
- 4 brown rice paper wraps or regular rice papers
- Salt + pepper to taste
for the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons wheat-free tamari
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 small clove garlic grated
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Water as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Toss sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 - 25 minutes until soft and starting to brown.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, toss kale and quinoa with 1 tablespoon of dressing and massage until kale has softened slightly. Set aside.
- Using a large bowl of warm water, gently dip 1 rice paper at a time. Once the rice papers are a little soft, place them on a clean surface.
- Lay the kale-quinoa mixture on the center of the paper, then top with some sweet potato. Like a burrito, first fold in both sides, then fold the closest edge to you over the filling and tightly roll away from you. Repeat with remaining rice papers.
- When ready to serve, slice in half (optional) and dip in the remaining dressing!
Nutrition
Filed Under:
YOUR TURN…
Have you ever tried spring rolls before? What are your favorite fillings? Let me know how the recipe turns out for you by leaving a comment below! I also love seeing your own versions of my recipes, so snap a pic and tag it #simplyquinoa on Instagram!
xx Alyssa
New to cooking quinoa? Grab your FREE Quinoa Starter Guide!
Become part of the Simply Quinoa community and receive weekly emails with exclusive content that I only share in email, as well as my in-depth guide to starting your quinoa journey.
I can’t wait to try this. It looks delicious!
Thanks, Anna! Definitely stop back and let me know how they turn out 🙂
Buy the wraps on Vitacost.com. They are much less expensivve.
That’s great to know, thank you for sharing! xo
There are no words to describe how booiuadcs this is.
These sound delicious! I’m going to make them this weekend! I love sweet potatoes. I bet you could also use butternut squash and they would taste fantastic as well!
I LOVE the idea of adding butternut squash 🙂 Sounds amazing!
Love this take on a traditional spring roll! I’ve recently discovered how easy they are to make and have been looking for inspo for modified versions of the traditional Thai spring roll. Love it!
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy them 🙂
I love fresh spring rolls! My favorite fillings when I make them myself are tofu, avocado, mango, basil and arugula. And of course I love any kind of nutty miso dipping sauce to go with. https://sweetgreenkitchen.com/tofu-summer-rolls-by-sweetgreenkitchen-com/
Yours look absolutely delicious and I especially love sweet potato and kale together and the sauce, just yum!
Sounds amazing!! xo
Pingback: DIY Salads: 19 Healthy Green Kale Salad Recipes - Diy Craft Ideas & Gardening
Pingback: DIY Salads: 19 Healthy Green Kale Salad Recipes - Diy Craft Ideas & Gardening
question, how many rolls are in the “2 serves”?
2 rolls!