If you get my Healthy Dish emails, you are well aware of the {overly dramatic} story of when I made summer rolls for the first time. And I have to tell you, I’ve made them at least three times since! In case you missed it, the basic gist of the story was… For some reason I always thought they were way harder than they actually are.

In reality, they are stupid easy – hence the title of this post – and a new favorite summer dinner in a hurry. Plus, once you have the rice paper on hand, you can throw these together with any fillings that you need to use up, super fast. I might even get really adventurous and try using fruit as the filling.

As a bonus, the peanut sauce is a combination of pantry staples that is worthy of being eaten straight from the spoon (not that I would know). The leftovers would also make a fab addition to some soba noodles!

Did I mention that these are also an amazing vehicle for all of your fresh summer vegetables? To add a fun twist you could use julienned radish, cucumber, zucchini and cilantro all straight from the garden if you wanted. Customize the protein or leave it out completely to make these vegan.  Regardless of what variation you choose, the next time you have friends over, I think you should set these beauties out as an appetizer for something a little bit more creative than the standard chip bowl. Or better yet, set out all of the toppings and let everyone build their own. 

Watch me make these on Facebook Live!

Stupid Easy Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These summer rolls are a favorite fresh and healthy “dinner in a hurry”.

• Author: Leanne Ray, MS, RDN
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2 (as an entree) or 4 (as an appetizer) 1x
• Category: Appetizers, Mains

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or ginger paste)
• 1 tsp chile sauce (like Sriracha)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp hot water (or as needed to thin the sauce)
• 10 rice paper wrappers (6″ in diameter)
• 3 leafs lettuce
• 2 small carrots, peeled and chopped into matchsticks
• 1/2 avocado, peel removed and sliced thin
• 8 oz pre-cooked shrimp, tails removed and cut in half lengthwise
• Basil
• Mint

Instructions

1. Add peanut butter through brown sugar to a mason jar and stir to combine. Gradually add hot water as needed to make the sauce pourable, stirring as you go. 
2. Fill a shallow bowl with water (for dipping the rice paper), then build an assembly line with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Dip rice paper in water for about 5 seconds or until pliable. Layer the ingredients in a line just below the center of the wrap (being careful not to overfill). Fold over the top away from you, fold in the sides, then roll up like a burrito and place on a cutting board or plate seam side down. You can drape a wet paper towel over the top to keep the rolls moist while you finish building the entire batch, but as long as you eat them right away I don’t think it’s necessary.
4. To serve, arrange the rolls on a serving platter with the peanut dipping sauce. 

Notes

These are best served immediately. 

Store any leftover peanut sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.