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pierogie shells

(6)
Neeniejan avatar
Recipe by
Jan W
@Neeniejan
Apollo, PA

Love traditional perogies, but they are a real pain to make,so came up with my own method. These take less time, easy to increase quantity and freeze well w/o having to add butter to keep from sticking together... I hope you'll give them a try and that you'll find them to be really good and easy! ?

(6)
yield 4 -6, dep on appetite
prep time 45 Min
cook time 35 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For pierogie shells

  • 6 qt
    boiling water
  • 1 box
    jumbo pasta stuffing shells (20-28 in box)
  • 3-4 c
    mashed potatoes (make your own or use frozen, prepared)
  • 1/2 c
    finely diced onion
  • 1/2 c
    sour cream (can sub french onion dip)
  • 8 oz
    shredded cheese (mexican blend, cheddar, or your choice
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp
    pepper (or to taste)
  • 1-1/2 stick
    butter, cut in small pieces
  • 1 md
    thinly sliced onion (i use mandoline to make it paper thin so they cook up faster)
  • SAUERKRAUT/BACON/MUSHROOM FILLING
  • 1/2 lb
    bacon, chopped & fried crispy & drained
  • 6 oz
    cremini mushrooms, cleaned & chopped
  • 1 can
    sauerkraut (14.5 oz), drained

How To Make pierogie shells

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • 2
    In large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Cook shells, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes; drain well in colander. The shells should just be soft enough to 'flex' them, not cooked tender. Set aside.
  • 3
    Peel and cook potatoes until tender; drain well, return to pan and heat a few minutes to eliminate any excess moisture.
  • 4
    Mash potatoes well; add sour cream, onions, shredded cheese, salt & pepper. Using an electric mixer, blend and mix in the cheese. Let set for about 5-10 minutes so cheese melts into potatoes and stir again to make sure it’s well combined.
  • 5
    In 13” x 9” x 2” pan or baking dish, place the half stick of butter; set pan in oven a few minutes to melt the butter. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • 6
    Fill each shell with potato mixture just even to top. Repeat with all shells and arrange in prepared pan.
  • 7
    Thinly slice the medium onion and separate into rings; just sprinkle them over tops of shells and top with remaining butter pats. Bake @ 350°F, covered with foil, for about 25 min.; then remove foil and bake 5-10 min longer uncovered.
  • pierogie shells w/mashed taters w/sour cream, onions and shredded cheese (mix of mozzarella, monterey jack and cheddar in this batch)
    8
    Serve w/ additional sour cream for topping, if desired. I also sometimes use French Onion Dip in place of sour cream; it gives a little zip to it! To Freeze: Put slightly cooled shells in zipper-style freezer bags or containers. They will not stick together too much, but you can add a little olive oil (few drops only) to help them stay separated.
  • 9
    Try this cheese blend for an alternative...it's good! https://www.justapinch.com/recipe/candy-hummer/diy-mexican-cheese-blend/quick-easy-vegetarian-healthy-mexican-for-kids?k=DIY+MEXICAN+CHEESE+BLEND&fc%5B0%5D=0&p=1&o=r
  • these freeze quite well...here they are shown with homemade sausage and sliced beets
    10
    NOTE: I do another version of these shells, filling is sauerkraut, chopped bacon & mushrooms...chop 1/2 lb bacon & cook til crisp; drain & set aside. Clean and chop 6 oz. cremini mushrooms. Drain a small can of kraut, put in nonstick skillet & heat through, adding in bacon & mushrooms. I put a thin layer of the kraut mixture in bottom of casserole, then fill shells with mixture and bake, covered, for about 30 minutes. Pictures are included here...enjoy! It's a really nice change from the ordinary!
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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