These homemade pierogies are bursting with flavor. Cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives just like a loaded baked potato but in extra yummy dumpling form.
The idea to do pierogi popped into my head and it sounded wonderful, but I had never made pierogi on my own. I had helped my mother-in-law once.
It was a lot of fun. A bunch of my husband’s cousins, their kids, my brother-in-law and Nana and Mike all got together to do it.
A group broke off to make homemade polish sausage (it’s nothing like the kielbasa I thought of before being introduced to more traditional Polish recipes). The rest of us were on team pierogi.
We made a TON of them with a handful of fillings. It worked out great.
A couple of people worked on rolling the dough thin. They had the Kitchenaid pasta roller, so that made things go pretty quick.
Then there was a stuffing station, a boiling station and somebody who was laying them all out to dry before they went in the freezer.
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It was very efficient, a lot of fun and everyone had a freezer full of wonderful treats when it was done. Nana got hers out for the following Easter and they were all sooo good.
Anyway, after that tackling the whole thing by myself seemed a bit intimidating. Especially since my pasta roller is a rolling pin.
So, I decided I would need to think of something else to do for my potato recipe. Then, MiMi sent a text one Friday night saying she and Pops would like to steal Little Dude for a bit the next morning.
I had my chance, it was now or never. A couple of hours with my hands free was just the inspiration I needed.
The actually came together pretty easily. Of course, they do take some time and a little patience.
I would say they are worth the effort. I don’t think they will become a weekly staple, but it fun to know that I can make them if the situation arises!
Loaded Pierogi
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup butter softened
Filling
- 4 medium potatoes
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 5 strips bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chives chopped
For Finishing
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3 strips bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- additional cheese and sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Mix together 5 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor.
- Add 1 cup water, 3 eggs and ½ cup butter. Pulse until a dough forms. You can add a little more flour or water if needed.
- Pull the dough together into a tight ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and cube 4 medium potatoes. Place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain completely. Place pan of drained potatoes over low heat and allow any remaining water to evaporate.
- Add 8 oz cream cheese and mash to your desired consistency. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 5 strips bacon, 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese, and ¼ cup chives. Place in refrigerator to cool.
- Roll half of your dough out to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut 4-inch circles. Place a tablespoon of cooled filling in the center. Use wet fingers to moisten the edges of the dough, fold over and seal. You can use a fork crimp the edges or a dumpling press, just make sure they are sealed well.
- Once the pierogies are all formed, bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. In batches, drop the pierogi in and allow to boil for 1-2 minutes. When they float, they are ready to be removed with a slotted spoon. Drain on a towel and continue working until all pierogi have been boiled.
- To finish, melt half the 2 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add the 3 strips bacon. Place a few pierogies in the melted butter so that they form a single layer. Cook over medium heat until they are golden brown, flip and cook the other side. Remove from pan and place in serving dish. Continue working, adding a little butter and bacon as you go, until all of the pierogi are cooked.
- Sprinkle with cheese and place in a warm oven (I had mine at 250°F) until cheese melts. Sprinkle with chives and drizzle with sour cream.
Notes
- Feel free to experiment with different kinds of cheese or other fillings you like with potatoes.
- You can make pierogi ahead of time and freeze if desired. Just make them to the point where they have been boiled and drained. Lay them out on trays to freeze. Once individually frozen, you can place them in freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
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What a great idea to amp up the potato pierogi! We have pierogi every Christmas Eve (fruit, sauerkraut, cheese fillings), I'll have to give your filling a try. Your dough recipe is much easier than my Grandmother's recipe, too – but I wouldn't be able to stray. 🙂
I don't blame you, it's hard to stray from grandma's recipe! I have heard of fruit pierogi, but have never tried them. I will have to do that soon! I figured adding a little bacon never hurt anything 😉
Carlee this is definitely on my list to try! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with us at #AnythingGoes
I hope you love them!
Your family pierogi party sounds like it was loads of fun, Carlee. Bravo to your courage for flying solo and producing gorgeous pierogi! P.s. This is one of my (younger) niece's faves. She lived in Hungary for 4 years…Guess this Auntie K will have to gather her courage and replicate Ms. Carlee's recipe for her =)
It really was fun to all be together working on them! The solo process was actually quite enjoyable too. They aren't hard to make, just time consuming! I hope you guys love them if you make them.
Yum, love pierogi. Yours look delicious. Now I want some. Having the whole family together to make them sounds so fun.
It was a lot of fun and made making a ton of them so much easier. It was great to hear the stories too!
never tried this, but it sounds yummy!
They are sooo good!
You can't go wrong with pierogies! Yum!
We usually have them at Easter with the in-laws and they are always delicious. I thought a little bacon would take them to the next level! It was fun to do.
Helping myself to a few of these, Carlee! They look Ah-mazing! I think it's wonderful that you are a foodie family. Pierogi and homemade Polish sausage, doesn't get any better!! =) Thanks for sharing!
Christine, you are welcome to as many as you like! I have some in the freezer, so you come on by whenever you get a chance. I'm sure they would be worth the trip 😉
I have a favorite restaurant that makes these, she's from Poland and they are so good. The trouble is, she's 2 hours away! I might actually give these a try. I love them!
They are actually kind of fun to make. Just be sure to block out plenty of time and get into it! The nice thing is you can make them ahead of time and freeze them after the boil, that way you can just pull out as many as you'd like when it is time to eat!
Oh yumm… homemade pierogi's sound like a great kitchen project to tackle with stations and helpers, and your solo pierogi's look wonderful! 🙂
It was so much fun having everyone work on them. I actually enjoyed doing it by myself more than I thought I would, but it certainly lacked the efficiency and the entertainment the group provided!
I love pierogi and your recipe sounds perfect!
They are delicious. I had only had them a couple of times before I married into a Polish family, but now I really love them. The addition of bacon doesn't hurt!