What do you get when you combine a vegan lemon butter sauce, tomato-flavored tofu ricotta rice paper shrimp, and perfectly cooked al dente pasta? A truly delicious and whimsical vegan pasta dish that is as fun to make as it is to eat.
Ready your rice paper wrapping hands for this ode to a classic Italian cuisine – done plant-based! One taste of this vegan lemon butter sauce and rice paper shrimp dish and you’ll be exclaiming, “bellissimo!” (insert Italian-like hand gesticulation here).
Tofu Shrimp – Two Ways!
In this recipe, you have the option of preparing the tofu stuffed rice paper shrimp two ways – either baked or breaded and fried. Both of the methods of cooking the shrimp are surprisingly delicious, so it all comes down to your own personal preference.
Baked Tofu Shrimp
Baking the tofu shrimp is more aesthetically pleasing and whimsical. In terms of representing a shrimp, this way of cooking the rice paper has the most fidelity to that idea.
When baked, the rice paper will become golden brown and crispy, but not so much that you can’t see through it. It really does look much more shrimp-like, and this effect can really bemusing and bedazzling when it’s on the plate.
Texturally speaking, baking the rice paper shrimp will not yield as much of a crunch as the alternative of breading them in Panko, but they will still be appropriately crisp on the outside.
Breaded and Fried Tofu Shrimp
Breading the shrimp in Panko breadcrumbs and then frying them in a skillet yields an amazing crunch and textural difference.
As noted above, cooking the rice paper shrimp like this detracts a bit from the overall shrimp-like appearance.
But if you’re a texturally-inclined individual who likes a good crunch, then this option is for you.
The Rice Paper Challenge
Rice paper is one of those ingredients that you can’t be intimidated by if you’re going to work with it effectively.
It’s going to be tricky and sticky and annoying, but don’t sweat it too much. Rolling the tofu ricotta shrimp was not easy, but it was fun all the same. Basically, try to be the Bob Ross of wrapping rice paper, and don’t worry about little mistakes or imperfections.
These don’t have to be perfectly sealed, c-shaped, radish-tailed, beautifully wrapped shrimp. Ideally, yes. Practically, no.
The Process
1. Cut about 4 to 5 inches off each side of the dry rice paper. You should have long half moon sheets.
2. Soak the papers for 10 – 15 seconds in warm (not hot) water, and then let remove them from the water, letting them drip excess water.
3. Lay the semi-circle rice paper sheet on a dry cutting board, and then load the ricotta (recipe below) in a line along the inside of the rice paper, positioning radish slices near the end of one in a fan (shrimp tail).
4. Roll the rice paper into a vague c-shape, where one end if slightly more bulbous then another.
And there you go – prepare the rice paper shrimp for either the oven or the skillet, depending on the way that you’d like to cook them (see above for baked vs breaded methods).
Vegan Lemon Butter Sauce
If you’re really not in the mood to manipulate rice papers into tofu shrimp, you can simply make the vegan lemon butter sauce by itself, and then top it with quickly cooked spinach or other greens.
Either way, give this recipe or an iteration of it a try. It’s a great dish to display the ingenuity and creativity of plant-based cuisine. However, I would heartily recommend making both the vegan lemon butter sauce and tofu shrimp together – they’re quite decedent and delicious when paired.
Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta Stuffed Rice Paper Shrimp
Ingredients
For the Rice Paper Shrimp
- About 8 rice papers, soaked in warm water for 10 – 15 seconds
- ½ block of extra firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes
- ½ cup petit cut canned tomatoes, lightly drained
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 ½ – 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Black pepper
- Some Radishes, raw and very thinly sliced into half-moons
For the Panko Mixture (optional, instead of baking the shrimp)
- ½ cup panko
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Dash of salt
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- Pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, like Earth Balance
- Zest from one lemon, about ½ teaspoon
- 2 – 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Dash of dried thyme
- Fresh parsley, as garnish
Instructions
For the Ricotta Stuffed Rice Paper Shrimp
- Press the tofu for about 30 minutes.
- Crumble the pressed tofu up into a food processor, and process along with the other ingredients (except for the radish) until nearly smooth and just a little lumpy.
- Cut two 4 to 5 inch side strips of rice paper from the overall sheet. Soak the each strip separately in warm (not hot) water for 10 – 15 seconds until they are soft, and then load the strip with about a tablespoon or so of the ricotta filling, inserting the thin radish slices near the bottom of the rice paper for the shrimp tail. Then, roll the paper firmly and tightly, doing your best to create a seal as well as a slight c-shape, like a shrimp. (Don't sweat if they don't come out exact – just do your best!)This should yield about 12 – 14 medium-sized shrimp.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, brush the shrimp with a small amount of olive oil, and then bake the shrimp on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat for about 20 minutes, turning the shrimp halfway through. They should be crispy and golden on each side.
Alternative: Breading and Frying the Shrimp
- Alternatively, you can also coat the shrimp in a panko breadcrumb mixture (recipe above), and pan fry them in olive oil 2 to 3 at a time for about 2 – 3 minutes on each side before preparing the pasta.
For the Vegan Lemon Butter Sauce Pasta
- Cook the pasta of your choice al dente. I used gluten-free brown rice pasta.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the vegan butter. Once melted, add the lemon zest, juice, nutritional yeast and black pepper. Let boil briefly, then add your al dente pasta and let it warm back up.
- Once the pasta is nice and hot and coated in the lemon-butter sauce, it’s ready to serve. Top the pasta with the shrimp and fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed this vegan lemon butter sauce pasta recipe, and that you found the rice paper shrimp to be whimsical and fun.
Want another rice paper challenge? Check out this other rice paper recipe, Fresh Vegan Spring Rolls.
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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Both the Tofu shrimp and the ricotta stuffed rice paper shrimp were AMAZING! Delicious! With the dressed pasta, this recipe was top restaurant quality and flavor.
Thank you! 😀