🥟 Vegetarian Potstickers w/ Side Salad
A fun weekend activity, or make ahead for a quick weeknight meal. PLUS more uses for our Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce and homemade Carrot Ginger Vinaigrette.
Making potstickers at home is much easier than you might imagine -- and it’s lots of fun. Our vegetarian spinach and vegetable filling with mung bean vermicelli is light, yet satisfying, and we complement those flavors with our family favorite One Potato Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce. We first shared this dipping sauce with our One Potato Salmon or Tofu Rice Bowl earlier this month - so if you made a batch to savor the flavors in multiple recipes, and saved some in the fridge, here’s your chance to use it. If not, whip up a new batch so there is some on hand for the potstickers, a zesty salad or to use as a tofu marinade. You can even revisit that delicious salmon recipe.
We like to add a fresh salad, topped with our One Potato Carrot Ginger Vinaigrette, to make this meal one the whole family will be begging you to make again!
No time?
We love making these potstickers because they combine healthy ingredients with a fun activity for the family - this recipe will take about 35-45 minutes to make. But it’s also a great quick weeknight meal. If you are short on time, here are a few time-saving hacks:
Buy frozen potstickers, vegetarian or meat-filled. You can even find brands that specialize in dietary restrictions (such as GF wrappers) these days. You can cook them quickly on the stovetop or even in your air fryer. Top with One Potato Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce for that homemade touch.
Use your air fryer to cook the potstickers - so you don’t need to spend the time monitoring the potstickers on the stove top.
Double the ingredients, and make a batch to keep in your freezer. Place the uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze until hard, then transfer to a resealable bag or freezer-safe storage container.Make sure to use parchment paper to prevent them from freezing together. Cook directly from frozen when ready to use.
Pre-make a batch of the Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce, which will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge or can be frozen in small quantities for later use.
One Potato recommends reading through the full recipe before starting to cook - that way all the steps will go more smoothly. Also, wash and dry any produce before beginning to cook.
Vegetarian Potstickers w/ Side Salad
For 4 Servings
One Potato Kitchen Tools: small bowl, large bowl, large skillet or sauté pan, chef’s knife, cutting board, food processor, slotted spoon
From Your Pantry: salt (kosher or sea), pepper, canola or vegetable oil
Wash and dry any produce.
Total prep & cooking time: 35-45 minutes
Ingredients:
For Potsticker Filling:
3 oz mung bean noodles (a.k.a. Glass bean noodles) or rice vermicelli
2 cups spinach (washed and roughly chopped)
1 zucchini (approx. 2 cups cut into ice cube sized chunks)
2 small carrots (approx. 2 ½ cups sliced into 5-6 chunks)
3 roasted piquillo peppers (diced)
1 shallot (minced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp canola
2 ½ Tbsp cornstarch OR 5 Tbsp rice flour
10 oz gyoza wrappers (one package contains approx. 40 wrappers)
10-12 oz spring salad lettuce mix
10 - 12 baby heirloom tomatoes (or as desired)
1 avocado
One Potato Carrot Ginger Vinaigrette or your favorite salad vinaigrette
One Potato Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce or your favorite soy dipping sauce (Tip: If you can't find Yuzu, improvise with your own soy/tamari and citrus juice combination - lime, grapefruit, lemon and orange - a great project for younger chefs to whip up and practice their tasting palate.)
If you can’t find them locally, you can get rice paper wrappers and glass bean noodles on Amazon for a GF option.
Directions:
Prepare the Potsticker Filling:
Prep the veggies & mung bean noodles: Using a food processor (our recommendation) or grater, quickly process the raw zucchini, carrots, and roasted piquillo peppers. The final consistency should be a bit chunky - not smooth. Fill a small bowl with warm water (NOT hot/boiling water) and submerge the mung bean noodles. Leave them soaking for 5-10 minutes.
Sauté the filling: Heat 1½ Tbsp canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, cooking until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the processed zucchini, carrots, and roasted piquillo peppers. Cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring to make sure it does not burn. Then add the ginger and continue to mix.
Cook the noodles: While the filling is cooking, use kitchen scissors to loosen and cut the mung bean noodles into small pieces (you want them small enough to evenly distribute throughout the filling, so you get small bites of noodle inside each potsticker). Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the mung bean noodles from the water bowl (no need to dry) and add to the pan. Then add the spinach to the pan and stir until well incorporated. Mix in the tamari, and sesame oil, coating the noodles so that they do not stick together. Cook for another 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
Drain the filling: Remove from heat and transfer the filling mixture to a strainer to drain excess liquid. Place the potsticker filling in a medium-sized bowl and mix in your cornstarch or rice flour until well incorporated.
Prepare the Potstickers:
Fill the potstickers: Set your potsticker filling out with a cup of water next to it. Lay 6 gyoza wrappers out on a clean flat surface and place 1 Tbsp of filling (or less, depending on the size of your wrapper) into the center of each wrapper. Be careful and use your judgment about the amount of filling here. You don’t want to overfill the potstickers, or they won’t seal. (See our Pro Tips!)
Seal the potstickers: Using a pastry brush or your fingers, lightly moisten the wrapper’s edges with water (A perfect job for kids!). Fold one wrapper edge over to meet the other in a semi-circle and seal by crimping the edges together with either your thumb and forefinger, or the tines of a fork, then lay the potsticker flat.
Cook the Potstickers:
Lightly pan-fry: Lightly coat the bottom of a medium sauté pan with canola oil and place over medium heat. Place a single layer of potstickers flat-side down into the oil and cook until the bottoms are golden, about 7 minutes. Flip the dumplings.
Finish cooking by steaming: Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/3”. Cover the pan and increase the heat to high. Steam the potstickers for 5 minutes, and then remove the lid. Continue cooking until the water has evaporated and the bottom of the potstickers are crispy. Repeat with the remaining potstickers, and then cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
Time Saving Hack! Quickly cook your homemade dumplings (or store-bought frozen dumplings) in your air fryer:
Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Lightly coat the air fryer basket with canola oil or vegetable oil, and place your first batch of dumplings in a single layer in the basket.
Air fry your dumplings for 2-4 minutes, flip the dumplings, and finish air frying for 2-4 minutes more. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
Assemble the Side Salad:
Build Salad: Place the spring lettuce mix into a large salad bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl. Prepare your One Potato Carrot Ginger Vinaigrette, or grab your favorite store-bought carrot ginger vinaigrette, and drizzle over the salad, tossing to coat evenly. Carefully halve and slice your avocado. Sprinkle avocado slices with salt and use them to garnish salad.
Serve the potstickers with our family favorite One Potato Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce on the side and the mixed salad. Enjoy!
Substitutions and Dietary Considerations
Dairy free: This recipe is Dairy Free.
Gluten-free: Use rice paper wrappers as GF alternative to the gyoza/dumpling wrappers and be sure to use or prepare the One Potato Yuzu Soy Dipping Sauce with GF ingredients (tamari instead of soy sauce). Mung bean/glass bean noodles are GF.
Increase the protein: Do you or your family want more calories or protein? Add 8.5 ounces of tofu to your filling. Be sure to thoroughly drain the tofu and press out extra moisture with paper or kitchen towels, then crumble or mash it well. Add it to the sauté pan in Step 2, while preparing the filling, after the shallots and garlic have softened and before cooking the vegetables. Cook the tofu for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
Ultimate Time-Saving Hacks:
Buy your fave pre-made potstickers
Skip making the vinaigrette or dipping sauce - simply buy your favorites. We recommend this yuzu miso dipping sauce/glaze and this carrot ginger dressing.
Cook the potstickers in the air fryer in 7-8 minutes per batch
Getting Kids Involved
Kids can help dunk and cut the noodles, fill and seal the potstickers, and assemble the salad.
Pro Tips
Picky Eaters?
Keep trying! You may need to offer a new food 10 times or more to your child before she will enjoy it.
We recommend giving kids a chance to taste each component ingredient before combining them - so give your picky eater a taste of the potsticker filling before you place it into the wrapper.
Making your potstickers: Do not overfill the potsticker wrappers - you won’t be able to seal them well, and risk them bursting during cooking.
Ensure a crispy potsticker: Flip them several times during cooking, and do not overcrowd the pan or air fryer basket.
Save for Later: Our potstickers freeze well. Complete Step 1, place on a baking sheet, freeze, then transfer to a resealable bag, layering with parchment paper, and store in the freezer. To cook, follow Step 2 with frozen potstickers.
Yummy leftovers: This tasty filling is great on its own - it doesn’t have to be inside of a potsticker wrapper. If you have leftovers, serve over rice for a tasty rice bowl or mix with warm rice for an Asian risotto.Yuzu Soy
Keep your Avocado fresh: If you’re not going to be serving your meal immediately, squeeze a bit of lemon or lime juice on the avocado flesh to make sure it doesn’t brown.
Tips for using our online Shopping List
Remember: In our linked Shopping List, the cart might have multiple brands of the same ingredient listed - in case you want the sugar free or organic version, for example. All you need to do to have the ingredients quickly delivered is
Verify your location
Choose your preferred store and delivery service (Instacart will show you how many items in the list are available at your preferred store; if the item we’ve recommended is not available they should show you an alternative item)
Confirm the items and quantities that you want to purchase - Click the “Add” button next to the ingredient you want to add to your cart
Check out and schedule your delivery
Feel free to message us with any questions