Homemade Pierogi with Caramelized Cabbage and Onion – Skip the boring pre-fab pierogi from the freezer section and enjoy the rich, savory, and delicious flavor of these tasty homemade delights!

Growing up my mom served a lot of dinners with a side of pierogies. Sometimes boiled, sometimes fried, and always looked forward to!

I’ve been told that on my Dad’s side of the family there’s some Polish (along with Pennsylvania Dutch, and maybe some other things). As such, he was highly influential in getting my mom to embrace cooking lots of pierogies on the reg. I have memories of him standing over the stove, practically drooling over the pierogies and in his Philadelphia accent he’d say, “I love this crap!”

All to say, I’m glad for my Dad’s pierogi influence! When I was a kid there was always that important nightly question of, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” I’d sometimes get a disappointing answer like “Chicken Tetrazzini,” which by the way, I now like. Other nights she’d say something like pizza or pierogies and I’d be like “Yes, Mom, I love you!” The pierogi really seemed to set a positive mood for the whole family.

My mom never made her pierogies from scratch. The part of Pennsylvania we lived in had a large Polish population as well as a large selection of local products that were leagues above the standard grocery store options. So why bother doing all that work?

Now, all these years later, I decided to give it a try anyway out of pure culinary curiosity. Although they were a little bit of work, I feel like my efforts in making homemade pierogies were well rewarded!

For starters, the homemade dough tastes much fresher than any pierogi I’ve had anywhere. I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference, but it did! Additionally, I used extra sharp top shelf cheese in my potato filling which gave it a great cheddar flavor. Paired with caramelized cabbage and onion, it was hard to resist taking seconds (and perhaps thirds) of this “crap!”

Photo Directions For Homemade Pierogi

Making Homemade Pierogi Dough

Making Cheddar Potato Filling for Pierogi

Assembling Homemade Pierogi

Cooking Pierogi

Homemade Pierogi with Caramelized Cabbage and Onions

Yield: 30 pierogies

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Skip the boring pre-fab pierogi from the freezer section and enjoy the rich, savory, and delicious flavor of these tasty homemade delights!

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Ingredients

Dough

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 4 Tbsp butter at room temperature

Potato Filling

• 1 lb russet potatoes or 1-1 1/2 C leftover mashed potatoes
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Caramelized Cabbage and Onions

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 C chopped sweet yellow onion
• 4 C chopped cabbage
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 C sour cream for serving

Instructions

Dough

1. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Next work in the egg until evenly combined and the mixture is clumpy. Add the sour cream and softened butter to the dough and work it together until if forms a sticky ball. 
2. Transfer the dough to a counter top and knead until the dough stops sticking to your fingers. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and the dough ball if it’s sticking as you work with it. 
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance. 

Prepare Filling

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place the potatoes into a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and add 1 tsp of salt to the water. Boil the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. 
2. Add the butter, grated cheddar, onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and black pepper to the pot. Mash the potatoes until they are fluffy and set aside. 

Assemble

1. Roll out the dough until it is 1/8" thick. Use a 2” round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles. If like me, you don’t have one, a water glass flipped upside down will do the job. 
2. Place 1/2-3/4 Tbsp of filling onto each round. Fold it over and gently pinch the edges together. If desired, press a fork around the edges to create a more beautiful look. 

Cook 

1. In a large pan over low heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter and slowly cook the onions and cabbage for 30 minutes. 
2. While the onions and cabbage are cooking bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, drop a few pierogi in the water at a time. Boil until the pierogi float to the top of the pot and then ladle them onto a plate. Arrange them so they are not on top of each other so they won’t stick. 
3. Once the cabbage and onions have cooked for 30 minutes increase the heat to medium-high. Push the onions and cabbage to the sides of the pan. Arrange the boiled pierogi in the pan and sauté them on both sides until they are browned. Serve immediately with the onions and cabbage as well as sour cream. 

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