Basic Polish Pierogi Dough with Three Fillings

Our recipe for an easy-to-work-with Polish Pierogi dough, complete with three tasty filling options: Cheesy Potato, Herbed Potato, and Sauerkraut.

Cooking Polish Food

With Tim’s strong Polish roots, and our desire to get back to our heritage through cooking, we’ve been looking at Polish food and hoping to start cooking more of it.

But, for some reason it seems a bit intimidating.

Love pierogi? Try a traditional dessert version.

As far as ethnic foods go, Italian, Mexican, all varieties of Asian seem to be in front of us all the time. Everywhere you turn there is a Chinese takeout restaurant or an fancy Italian pasta house. And, it seems like everyone knows and loves tacos and pasta.

These ethnic foods seem easy and accessible.

But Polish food just seems different.

Part of it is that I didn’t grow up eating Polish food like Tim did.

And, when Tim ate Polish food, it was cooked by his Dad’s family, and many of those recipes have, sadly, been lost.

Our Basic Pierogi Dough Recipe

Recently, we have been getting a lot of requests for a no-fail pierogi recipe. So we decided to stop hesitating and jump right in.

I can’t guarantee that this recipe is no-fail. But, it works very well for us, even on our first try and has become a staple whenever we get a pierogi craving.

The dough is dense and chewy and the fillings arequite tasty, just the way Tim remembered.

What are Pierogi?

Pierogi are a Polish dumpling that are first boiled and then often fried or baked to achieve a crisp outer crust.

Traditional fillings include potato, sauerkraut, and meat.

However, they can also be sweeter, filled with cheese or fruit.

The word “pierogi” is actually plural, since it is rare to serve just one “pierog”. Yup, that’s the singular version.

So, we won’t be having “pierogis” for dinner. Just “pierogi”.

Pierogi Dough With Three Classic Fillings

I know this recipe looks daunting.

But, if you take a closer look, we have given you the basic pierogi dough recipe for 15 pierogi, which we adapted slightly from “The Art of Polish Cooking”.

There are also three possibilities for vegetarian fillings that we created based on Tim’s memory of big Polish family dinners.

Each filling recipe is be enough to fill the 15 pierogi.

But, if you’re like us and want a bit of variety, the leftover fillings are tasty on their own. Or, you could make a triple batch of pierogi dough and go on a pierogi making spree.

Freezing Homemade Pierogi

The nice thing is, once filled, these pierogi freeze incredibly well.

Simply freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, in a single layer until solid. Then, they can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Simply boil frozen pierogi for 10-15 minutes, until soft and tender.

5 from 1 vote

Print This Recipe

Basic Polish Pierogi

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 15 mins

 

Soft, pasta-like dough surrounds pockets of traditional Polish fillings like potatoes and cheese, mushrooms, and sauerkraut in these homemade Polish Pierogi. 

Yield: 15 (3 inch) pierogi

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Polish

Servings: 3 people

Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

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Ingredients

For The Cheesy Potato Filling *

• 1 large potato, cut into ½” cubes (roughly 2 c)
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 oz (½ c) shredded cheese (cheddar works well)
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

For The Herbed Potato Filling *

• 1 large potato, cut into ½” cubes (roughly 2 c)
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 tsp parsley
• ½ tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

For The Sauerkraut Filling *

• 8 oz (1 ½ c) sauerkraut, drained slightly
• ½ onion
• 1 Tbsp sour cream

For The Basic Pierogi Dough

• 1 ¾ c unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• dash salt
• ½ c water

Cooking the Filled Pierogi

• 8 c water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp salted butter (optional)

Instructions

For the Cheesy Potato Filling

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer until potatoes are very tender.
2. Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
3. In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
4. Add onions to drained potatoes and mash using a potato masher or electric hand mixer.
5. (Add reserved potato cooking water as needed to reach a smooth mashed potato consistency.)
6. Add cheese, garlic, and salt. Mix well.

7. Set filling aside to cool.

For the Herbed Potato Filling

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer until potatoes are very tender.
2. Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
3. In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
4. Add onions and seasonings to drained potatoes and mash using a potato masher or electric hand mixer. (Add reserved potato cooking water as needed to reach a smooth mashed potato consistency.)

5. Mix well and set aside to cool.

For the Sauerkraut Filling

1. In a small, non-stick frying pan, saute onions in a little butter or oil until soft.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together sauerkraut, onions, and sour cream until combined.

3. Set filling aside to cool.

For the Pierogi Dough

1. Mix the egg with the flour and dash of salt.
2. Add water slowly, using only as much as needed to create a smooth and soft dough.
3. Roll out to 1/8” thickness.
4. (At this point, if you have your fillings ready to go, it's a good idea to get a pot of water boiling with 2 quarts of water. Once the water begins to boil, add 1 tsp salt, and turn it to a steady simmer. This way, you can start cooking the pierogi as you fill them.)
5. Using a 3 ½ ” cookie cutter (or the mouth of a juice glass if you don't have cookie cutters, like us) cut circles out of the dough. Re-roll dough as needed until all has been used.

6. Place about a tablespoon of filling slightly off-center of the round. Moisten the edge of your dough with a little water, and fold the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges to seal well.

Cooking The Filled Pierogi**

1. Place pierogi into boiling water, and boil until the dough is tender 7-10 minutes.

2. Remove from boiling water with a large slotted spoon and place in a serving dish.

3. If you like, heat a little butter in a frying pan and transfer cooked pierogi directly from the water to the frying pan and saute until slightly golden. Add additional butter as needed.

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Recipe Notes

*These recipes makes a lot of filling. Each filling recipe would be enough to fill this entire batch of 15 pierogi.

 

**To freeze the Pierogi for later: Arrange filled pierogi in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour, or until solid. Then, transfer the pierogi to an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

To cook from frozen: Simply boil the frozen pierogi for 10-15 minutes, until soft and tender.