I need a shirt that says I <3 dumplings!
I am such a sucker for any type of dumpling, but these vegan ricotta dumplings sauteed with greens and garlic take the cake! They are incredibly easy to make, so don’t be intimidated. Just whip up some of my super easy ricotta in a food processor or blender. Then mix with flour. Cut the dough into little dumplings and boil. That’s it. They are supposed to look rustic, so you don’t need to worry about how you cut them.
Saute the dumplings with kale, olive oil, LOTS of garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Then, prepare yourself for all the good things that will happen in your brain once you put a dumpling in your mouth! The vegan ricotta dumplings are soft and pillowy inside and firm like pasta on the outside. They are a little cheesy, and oh so amazing!
The dumplings get brown and form a nice crustiness on the outside when you saute them. They hold together really well after they are boiled, so you can brown them as much as you want without worrying about them falling apart. The vegan ricotta dumplings only need to boil for a few minutes, so this whole meal is actually really quick to throw together!
The dumplings have a nice saltiness to them, that tossed with garlic and kale and the acid from the balsamic makes the perfect flavor combo! This may sound a little strange, but I like to drizzle agave on top before eating. It is freaking incredible! If you are feeling a little daring, I highly recommend finishing with a quick grate of vegan Parmesan and a lovely little drizzle of agave!
Vegan Ricotta Dumplings with Kale and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 Block(15oz.) Extra firm tofu
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup All purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 3 Cups Kale, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- Pinch of Red Pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- Vegan Parmesan, optional (I used Violife)
Instructions
- Make the vegan ricotta first. Squeeze some of the liquid out of the tofu. I just squeeze it over the sink to get as much out as I can. If it starts to crumble, that is fine! Then add the tofu to a food processor or blender.
- Then add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt to the food processor or blender as well. Blend the mixture, scraping down the sides as needed until the tofu is smooth and resembles ricotta cheese.
- Next, add the vegan ricotta to a large mixing bowl. Start adding the flour a little at time to the ricotta. Stirring to combine. Once all the flour has been added, begin to knead with your hands to form a smooth dough ball, it should only take a minute or two.
- Now, sprinkle some flour onto a surface that you want to cut the dough on. Put the dough on the floured surface, cut into 4 pieces.
- Take one piece and knead with a little more flour if the dough is still a little sticky. Then flatten the piece a little, cut it into 2 lengthwise and cut each piece into little dumplings(see photo).
- Repeat with all of the dough, keeping the dumplings separate so they don't stick together.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the dumplings. You may want to do them in a couple of batches so you don't over crowd the pot. Boil the dumplings for about 4-5 minutes. They will float when they are almost done. Remove the dumplings from the pot.
- Next, heat the olive oil on medium high in a large non-stick skillet. Then add the garlic and kale. Saute, reducing heat as needed for about 2 minutes to cook the garlic and wilt the kale.
- Then, add the dumplings to the pan, brown the dumplings on each side for a minute or two. Then pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan. Toss to coat the dumplings and kale.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper and a pinch of salt. Toss again. Serve immediately. I like to drizzle agave on top! Give it a try if you like sweet and salty stuff!
Nutrition
I made the dumplings and they looked a little plain. I sautéed the dumplings until golden brown and added the balsamic vinegar and agave. Really good! I didn’t make the sautéed kale with garlic but will experiment with some of your sauces from other recipes that you make. Sauce from the cauliflower steaks and marinara sauce will go great. Texture after browning the dumplings really satisfying. Thanks!
1. I’m just getting into Vegan cooking and I’m finding your recipes very fun and easy and most importantly I come home and I WANT to make them I don’t feel like cooking is a chore so thanks for that!
2. I made this last night and it was very good! The texture wasn’t as light as normal gnocchi and I was wondering if putting the “ricotta” through a potato ricer would make it lighter?
any thoughts on that?
Made this last night – loved it! I boiled the dumplings in vegan chicken stock for extra flavour. Will definitely be making it again.
Made this and served alongside oasted acorn squash for a special meal for a few friends and it was a huge hit! They are already asking for another meal of it. I needed to add a bit more flour (maybe another 1/3 to 1/2 cup flour) to the dumpling dough but could have just been that I didn’t drain the tofu sufficiently; other than that adjustment, followed the recipe and all worked great. Thanks!
These are a bit of a time commitment but well worth it. Even got my four year old to eat Tofu, he said , no Tofu, just dumplings. Thanks for this yummy recipe.
Made this several times and this is a fantastic recipe. Wondering if anyone has made these with an alternative flour, such as garbanzo flour. Thanks!
Hi Heather! I just made them using that exact flour. I think next time I will go 50/50 using oat or gluten free flour as the other half since these were a bit denser than I liked. But, they were still yummy.
I used less flour and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes before going though the process.
Made these once over the summer and they were fantastic! This is going to be our Thanksgiving dinner this year. Adding in some Honeynut squash (cubed) we picked up at a local orchard and maybe a few baby bella mushrooms slices. Knowing me though, I won’t stop there. Thinking about topping with some Walnut pieces and dried cranberries.
This was literally one of the best things I’ve ever made and it tasted like it was from a fancy restaurant!!