Easy, homemade, tender pasta dough filled with crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. The best comfort food!! Boil the pierogies then sauté in butter and olive oil till golden, delicious perfection. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with more butter, and top with crumbled bacon and chives. Can be served as a side dish or eaten as the main dish.
I have been in LOVE with pierogies since I was a child!! I don't know exactly when or who introduced them to me (it was likely my mom), but thank you! I do remember that in middle and high school, I used to come home and eat 3 pierogies as my after-school snack. This wasn't everyday, but it was very often. Like what kind of kid was I? lol. I'm pretty sure that we got our pierogies from the Schwan's man (P.S. Schwan's ice cream is perfection). Now, when I'm craving pierogies I make my own or I buy Mrs. T's pierogies from the local grocery store, which are delicious. But, you just can't beat homemade pierogies!!
What I love about homemade pierogies is that the dough is so tender and the potatoes are so creamy and silky smooth and, in this case, loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon! They're so good!! So although I love the convenience of buying frozen pierogies, I like to make homemade pierogies when I have the time. The best part? You can make a large batch and freeze them, so you have pierogies ready whenever you get a craving! This recipe makes about 40-50 pierogies. Depending on the size of biscuit cutter you use... or small mouth mason jar lid, which is actually what I use. You want to cut your pierogi circles between 2 - 3 inches in diameter.
What I love about homemade pierogies is that the dough is so tender and the potatoes are so creamy and silky smooth and, in this case, loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon! They're so good!! So although I love the convenience of buying frozen pierogies, I like to make homemade pierogies when I have the time. The best part? You can make a large batch and freeze them, so you have pierogies ready whenever you get a craving! This recipe makes about 40-50 pierogies. Depending on the size of biscuit cutter you use... or small mouth mason jar lid, which is actually what I use. You want to cut your pierogi circles between 2 - 3 inches in diameter.
How to serve pierogies.
Pierogies can served as the main dish with a side of veggies (or heck all by themselves), or they can be served as a side dish to meat. Think of them as like the best mashed potatoes you've ever put in your mouth.
Whether you eat them as the main dish or the side dish, here is a few of my favorite ways to eat them!
- Rub the warm pierogies down with butter and season with salt and pepper. Serious perfection. This is how I typically eat them.
- I learned this from a restaurant I really like. Serve the pierogies with steak, tenderloin, roast, or whatever meat your heart desires AND horseradish cream sauce!! It's a serious game changer. If you like horseradish, this is an absolute must!! Omg it's good.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped chives. Like you would a baked potato!
Ingredients.
Flour. I just used all-purpose. Please remember to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and and level it off with a knife. This prevents you from overpacking the measuring up.
Salt. Either table salt or kosher salt works. It gets mixed into the dough and the mashed potatoes.
Butter. Melted butter gets worked into the dough and mixed with the potatoes. Salted or unsalted, either works.
Eggs. Also for the dough.
Sour cream. You will need sour cream for both the dough and the mashed potato filling. I recommend full-fat.
Water. Once all of the other dough ingredients are mixed together, you will need to add about 3-4 tablespoons of water until the dough holds together in a ball.
Potatoes. I used russets, but you can use whatever your favorite kind is. You will want to peel the potatoes.
Tips & Tricks.
No need for a biscuit cutter. You don't need any special tools to make pierogies. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, simply use a small mouth mason jar lid to cut circles into the dough.
Scoop and level the flour. As always, I recommend using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife so it’s flat. Scooping your measuring cup directly into the flour packs it in too tight and you’ll likely end up with too much flour. Too much flour = dry dough.
Can you freeze pierogies? Yes! I love to make a big batch so I have leftover pierogies to freeze. Lay the uncooked pierogies in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet (not touching), then cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the pierogies to a sealed container. Do not thaw the pierogies before cooking. To cook, simply drop the frozen pierogies into the boiling water; they will take a couple minutes longer to cook than fresh pierogies.
Use the dough within 48 hours. Once the dough is made, it can be stored in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, till you're ready to use it. I recommend using it within 48 hours.
Homemade Bacon Cheddar Cheese Pierogies
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon and level)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled slightly
Potato filling
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (about ¾ pound)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease (optional)
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 cooked bacon strips, crumbled
Fry & serve
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Optional toppings: butter, crumbled bacon, sour cream, chives
Instructions
Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add in the sour cream, eggs and melted butter; mix until combined. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead or about 2-3 minutes, or until a smooth ball forms. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rest while you make the potato filling.
Potato filling
- Add the potaotes to a small pot and cover with water. Boil over medium-high heat until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once tender, strain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add the butter, bacon grease, sour cream, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer (or use a potato masher) until smooth. Mix in the cheddar cheese and baocn. Set aside.
To assemble pierogies
- Cut the dough ball in half. Wrap one half back up with plastic wrap and let rest while you work with the other half of dough.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out as thin as possible, about ⅛ - 1/16 inch thickness. My circle was about 15 inches in diamater. Use a biscuit cutter or small mouth mason jar lid to cut 2-3 inch circles.
- Spoon one teaspoon of potato filling into the center of each circle. Working with one pierogi at a time, moisten the edge of the dough with water using your finger or a pastry brush (I like to set a small glass of water near my work surface for this). Fold the dough in half over the filling and pinch the edges of the dough together. Use you a pastry maker or the tip of a fork to crimp the edges of the dough and seal in the potato filling. As you're working, keep the dough covered with platic wrap or a kitchen towel to keep from drying out. Repeat with the other half of dough.
- Dough scraps: Knead dough scraps back into a ball and let rest about 10 minutes. Roll out, cut and assemble more pierogies. Discard any additional scraps or cut into thin strips and cook in soup as noodle dumplings.
- Freezing option: Once the pierogies are filled and sealed, you can flash freeze them. Lay pierogies on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then transfer to a sealed container and freeze up to 3 months.
Fry & serve
- Boil: Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Add a few pierogies at a time and cook until they float, about 2-3 minutes. If pierogies are frozen, cook 4-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a baking sheet.
- Fry: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat with ½ tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil (add more as needed). Working in batches, add pierogies in a single layer and fry about 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown.
- Serve: Serve pierogies warm with your desired toppings.
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