If you love the homey, comforting goodness of these savory potato dumplings, but find something lacking in the frozen supermarket variety, maybe it’s finally time you learned how to make pierogies.
This Polish treat consists of fresh dough rounds folded around seasoned potato and cheese (such as ricotta), forming a half-moon shape. These crescents are then sautéed and lightly steamed, and usually served with fresh herbs and melted butter.
Making homemade pierogies is actually fairly easy, although be forewarned that if you are making the dough from scratch, it is a bit time-consuming—no need to worry about that in this recipe as we are using pre-made dumpling wrappers.
Some people like to keep sour cream on hand for serving, but when the dumplings are made fresh, they’re best enjoyed without too much distraction.
Step #1. Prepare Ingredients
- 4-5 small potatoes (about 15 oz.)
- 1 tbsp. canola oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded or in small cubes
- ½ tsp. oregano, dried
- ½ tsp. thyme, dried
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 48 dumpling wrappers
- Fresh parsley, to serve
Step #2. Boil & Mash the Potatoes
Peel and boil the potatoes until they are soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and mash them using a fork.
Step #3. Cook the Onions
Heat ½ tbsp. of canola oil to medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and cook until brown (about 5 minutes).
Step #4. Combine the Cheeses, Onions, Potatoes & Herbs
Combine ricotta cheese, potatoes, cheddar cheese, onions, herbs, salt and pepper.
Step #5. Add Filling to Pierogi Disc – Fold & Seal
Place one wrapper over a plate. Add one spoon of filling. Wet the edges of the disc with water and fold it in half. Use a fork to push the ends together.
Step #6. Fry & Steam the Pierogies
Heat ½ tbsp. of canola oil in a non-stick skillet at medium-high heat. Add the pierogies and cook until brown.
Turn them over and let them brown on the other side. (For me, it usually takes less than 1 minute per side to brown; keep an eye on them.)
When they are brown on both sides, add ½ cup of water – without lowering temperature – and cover quickly with the lid. Let them cook for 1 more minute with the steam.
This is a mixed cooking method that will allow the dough itself to have a brown and crunchy texture in the center of the pierogies and soft on the thin, outer edges from the steam.
Add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan before frying each batch of pierogies.
Step #7. Serve the Pierogies!
Serve with fresh parsley and enjoy!
If you don’t intend to eat all of the pierogies right away, they can be frozen before cooking. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the pierogies so they don’t touch (make sure of this, or they could tear apart once frozen), and place the sheet in the freezer until the dumplings are solid.
Once they’re frozen, they can be transferred to a plastic freezer bag for easy storage.
To cook them from a frozen state, simply boil in salted water for about 7 or 8 minutes, then drain and serve as you normally would.
Luckily in this recipe, you can skip the step of making the dough, resulting in a quick and easy (but delicious!) version of homemade pierogies. Using the steaming method of cooking as described in this recipe, gives you a nice soft pierogi dough on the edges, but keeps the center delightfully crisp.
What is your favorite pierogi filling? Let us know in the comments!
How to Make Pierogies – The Easy Way
Ingredients
- 4-5 small potatoes - about 15 oz.
- 1 tbsp. canola oil - divided
- 1 onion - diced
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ½ cup cheddar cheese - shredded or in small cubes
- ½ tsp. oregano - dried
- ½ tsp. thyme - dried
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- 48 dumpling wrappers
- Fresh parsley - to serve
Instructions
- Peel and boil the potatoes until they are soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and mash them using a fork.
- Heat ½ tbsp. of canola oil to medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and cook until brown (about 5 minutes).
- Combine ricotta cheese, potatoes, cheddar cheese, onions, herbs, salt and pepper.
- Place one wrapper over a plate. Add one spoon of filling. Wet the edges of the disc with water and fold it in half. Use a fork to push the ends together.
- Heat ½ tbsp. of canola oil in a non-stick skillet at medium-high heat. Add the pierogies and cook until brown. Turn them over and let them brown on the other side. When they are brown on both sides, add ½ cup of water – without lowering temperature – and cover quickly with the lid. Let them cook for 1 more minute with the steam. (This is a mixed cooking method that will allow the dough itself to have a brown and crunchy texture in the center of the pierogies and soft on the thin, outer edges from the steam.) Add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan before frying each batch of pierogies.
- Serve with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Looking to further enhance your cooking skills? Check out…How to Make Lemonade