Spring rolls are one of my all-time favorite snacks. They check all the boxes—they’re usually packed with veggies so you don’t feel too bad about eating them, and they’re perfect for dipping into yummy sauces! We made an Asian stir-fry dish the other night and thought some homemade spring rolls would be the perfect accompaniment.

First off, let me be honest with you: I think I bought the wrong type of spring roll wrappers. I bought those clear ones that are usually used for fresh spring rolls, but what I really needed was brown rice spring roll wrappers. Anyway, the clear wrappers worked just fine, but I would suggest the proper ones if they’re available!

So, wrong wrappers aside, I really enjoyed this little appetizer. It was super, duper tasty and incredibly easy to put together. This yielded about 10-12 rolls total, so if you’re making them for a large group I’d suggest doubling or tripling the ingredients. And if you want to save some money, go with button mushrooms instead of shiitakes; after rolling these up, baking them and dipping them in a sauce, the filling ingredients fade into the background, anyway.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 T. sesame oil

• 2 c. Napa cabbage, shredded

• 2-3 medium carrots, peeled & grated

• 1 1/2 c. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 in. piece fresh ginger, peeled & minced

• 1 T. hoisin sauce

• 1 T. soy sauce

• Spring roll wrappers

• Sweet chili sauce or sweet & sour sauce for dipping

STEPS

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until the veggies are soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in the hoisin and soy sauce and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool before assembling the spring rolls.

2) Depending on the spring roll wrappers you bought, you might have to dip each one in water before you start rolling so that it becomes pliable. To assemble place a spoonful of filling in one corner of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over so that the filling is covered, then fold in the sides. Continue rolling and folding in the sides until you end up with something that resembles a spring roll!

3) Place a wire rack onto a sheet pan and put the springs rolls onto the rack. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sweet chili sauce or sweet & sour sauce for dipping, if desired.

Below is our two-year-old dog Beau, an American Staffordshire Terrier mix. He’s known as “Prince Beau” in our house because he has the best posture, even when he’s begging (actually, especially when he’s begging). I gave him a carrot to gnaw on but he would’ve much rather have had a crispy spring roll :)