Wonton Wrappers Put a New Spin on Old Favorites

Wonton wrappers are those thin sheets of dough used to make dumplings, potstickers, egg rolls or spring rolls, and wontons, of course. You can make your own — the process is quite similar to making homemade pasta dough — or you can grab a package in the refrigerated section of the produce department at the grocery store.

What you might not already know about wonton wrappers is how else you can use them in recipes. They aren’t confined to Asian-inspired cooking. Use wonton wrappers to put a new spin on old favorites, without creating extra work or expense.

Get Creative With Wonton Wrappers

We love how simple it is to use wonton wrappers without a specific recipe that calls for them. Take anything you plan to put into a casserole or tortillas or pie crust, and use it to fill wonton wrappers instead. You can fold and seal them, or you can press them into a muffin pan. Roll them into cylinders around your filling, fold them in half into semicircles or triangles, or pinch them into purses. Bake them, deep fry them, or pan fry them. Wonton wrappers are incredibly versatile.

Not sure what sort of fillings we’re thinking about? Here’s a brief list that ought to give you a few ideas:

• Lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, or other filled/layered pasta dishes
• Tacos, burritos, or enchiladas
• Quiches, frittatas, or omelets

Those are just the savory options. Sweet fillings open up a whole new world of dessert ideas too.

Want more specific guidance? We found three recipes that will walk you through how to use wonton wrappers to make delicious appetizers and main dishes.

Wonton Wrappers: Baked Vegetable and Cream Cheese Wontons

This recipe from Lisa Lin on Simply Recipes is one for your next gathering, whether you’re hosting or you’re on the hook to bring a dish to someone else’s home. First, we love the look of these wontons, and it’s simple to achieve. Instead of pinching the edges into a purse, line them up and press together. Then seal the X with egg wash to make it extra crunchy. Although these are baked, you can get that golden color and crisp exterior by lightly brushing the assembled wontons with oil.

The filling includes shredded cabbage, grated carrots, peas, and scallions, and it’s seasoned with garlic and ginger for authentic Asian-inspired flavor. After you place a scoop of filling on top of each wrapper, add a dab of cream cheese before folding the edges. Bake your assembled wontons right away, or freeze them to bake later. Do not refrigerate, or the wonton wrappers will get too moist and won’t bake properly.

Wonton Wrappers: Chicken Verde Wonton Tacos

Not only do we think this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything sounds delicious, we think she’s pretty funny too. Our favorite line of hers? “I want healthy food to taste like In-n-Out Burger.” So do we, Christy.

Maybe this recipe isn’t on the menu at a health spa or In-n-Out, but we’re going to add it to our Taco Tuesday rotation at home. That means we’ll need to double the quantities, at a minimum.

Pop the chicken breasts in your slow cooker earlier in the day to simmer in chicken broth. It will shred easily when it’s time to assemble these tacos. We also recommend making your own salsa verde with this recipe from Cookie and Kate. Cut her recipe in half if you must, but we suggest making the full recipe and refrigerating the leftovers.

Finally, shred your own Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese, or add some queso blanco. Baking time is less than five minutes, so have your avocado chunks and fresh cilantro ready to top these wonton tacos.

Wonton Wrappers: Mashed Potato Wontons

This recipe from Tasty looks like the ultimate comfort food. We love how Tasty features overhead view, time-lapse videos to show readers exactly how a recipe comes together. It gives us confidence that we can pull off the same results.

There’s more to these wontons than a dollop of mashed potatoes inside each one. They are seasoned with garlic, butter, and salt, plus Parmesan and sour cream. But then you sauté some shallots in butter, add dried thyme, and stir those into the mashed potatoes to give them even more depth of flavor. While the recipe calls for deep frying these wontons, you could bake them instead. Brush each one lightly with oil for extra crunch.

Tasty shows these wontons served as an appetizer, but we think they’d also make an unexpected side dish to accompany pan-seared steak or pork tenderloin.