SaurabhPierogies are a traditional Polish dish made of flour, water, salt, and oil. However, there are varieties of recipes with eggs, milk, or other ingredients.
They’re available in different sizes and with different stuffings. Every country has its pierogies but with a different name. In China, they are called wontons. In Rusia, they’re known as piroshki. And in Italy, they’re called ravioli. And many other names for the same thing-pierogies.
For good pierogies, the most important thing is the dough. It has to be smooth, soft, and well kneaded. Let it sit for a while.
Then roll, it, cut the circles with mold or drinking glass, put the filling you like in the middle, fold them in semicircles and seal the ends with fingers or you can use a fork.
Finally, place them in boiling water with salt and a little bit of oil, and boil them until they float to the surface. You can either bake or fry them afterward and pair them with a side dish or your favorite sauce.
Pierogies are filled with mashed potatoes, fried onions, and cheese. However, you can fill them with whatever you want. For sour fillings, you can use minced cooked meat, mushrooms, cheese, spinach, seafood, bacon, chicken meat, or pork meat.
If you want sweet filings try with strawberries, blueberries, apples, apricots, cherry, raspberry, or you can use jam instead of fresh fruits.
You can serve pierogies with added toppings, sauces, salads, sour cream, fried onions, mushrooms, and other side dishes. Sweet pierogies, on the other hand, make a great dessert with some whipped cream, fresh fruits, ice cream, fruit jams, or sweetened cream.
Now, let’s take a look at some healthy and delicious side dishes for pierogies that you and your loved ones will enjoy. They’re easy to make and don’t require any cooking skills.
What to Serve with Pierogies
If you have bought frozen pierogies, or you made them by yourself and don’t know what to serve with them here are some great suggestions. Which side dish you are going to serve depends on what your pierogies are filled with. Experiment to reach your favorite taste.
1. Cabbage and bacon
For this side dish, you need to fry the bacon until it’s crispy. Then, add chopped cabbage. Saute the cabbage. Add garlic powder, black pepper, and some paprika. The cabbage will have a great smoked and salty flavor which pairs well with the pierogies.
2. Brussels sprouts, parsnip, and carrots
This is a wonderful mix of taste and color. Brussel sprouts have a bitter flavor that mixes with the sweet flavor of the carrots, and the nutty flavor of the parsnip.
You can roast or bake them in the oven with some maple syrup. As a final result, you have a nutty, sweet-bitter flavor which can be a perfect match with pierogies.
3. Sauteed spinach with basil
This recipe is for spinach lovers and is a good side dish for pierogies. First, add garlic in hot olive oil, then add pine nuts and cook until they get a golden color.
Add the spinach, salt, pepper, water and cook for few minutes. Remove it from the heat and add the basil. Optionally you can add some parmesan, and enjoy it while hot.
4. Onions and mushrooms with sour cream
Sautee the onions in butter or olive oil until golden brown. Add the mushrooms and fry them until they are soft and without liquid. Then, add salt, pepper, pour the sour cream, and cook while thick. You can add some chopped dill a few minutes before it’s fully cooked.
5. Roast beef with green beans and onion
This recipe is more like the main dish but can be good pair with pierogies. First, bake the meat in a roasting pan for about two hours. Meanwhile fry the bacon until crispy, remove them from the pan and caramelize the onions.
When the onions are golden brown add the fried bacon and the green beans and season with salt and pepper. You can add some sauce if you want for a better taste.
6. Roasted tomatoes
Roasted tomatoes are not a complex but tasty side dish for pierogies. Cut the tomatoes and season them with some salt, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Let them cook slowly and at the end add some fresh basil and parmesan for better flavor.
7. Cucumber salad
Cucumbers are crispy and refreshing vegetables. This salad can be served as a side dish with pierogies. Cut the cucumbers and onions and mix them with yogurt, olive oil, and fresh dill. Add some lemon juice for freshness.
8. Cobb salad
This salad is made with iceberg lettuce, tomato, crispy grilled or roasted bacon, white chicken meat, avocado, boiled eggs, chives, and Roquefort cheese seasoned with red wine vinaigrette.
You can substitute Iceberg lettuce with romaine lettuce, watercress, or endives, and you can also add some other cheese like cheddar or Monterey Jack. It’s a crispy, fresh salad that matches great with pierogies.
Also Check: What to Serve with Tamales
9. Sausages with roasted onions and tomatoes
For this recipe first roast the onion, and garlic with olive oil into a roasting pan in the oven, and when golden-brown add cherry tomatoes thyme, and bay leaves. When tomatoes are cooked add the sausages and roast them until they are cooked. In the end, add sherry vinegar.
10. Pork chops with apple butter
For this recipe, you need pork chops, apples, butter, chilly powder, apple butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. First, melt the butter and cook the pork chops for few minutes. Then cook the sliced apples and add the chilly powder, sugar, apple butter, and heavy cream.
Let it boil for a while add the pork chops and some apple butter. Cook it for few minutes and serve it hot. Great mix with pierogies.
11. Shrimps with garlic and tomato sauce
This is an easy-to-make, tasty recipe. If you like shrimps you can combine them with pierogies. Cook the tomatoes and garlic in olive oil and add white wine vinegar and shrimps. Season it with salt, and black pepper. Don’t forget to clean the shrimps if they are not already cleaned.
12. Strawberries coulis
This recipe is for sweet pierogies. Wash the strawberries cut them into quarters. Place them in a pan with icing sugar and some lemon juice, and cook them for few minutes. Blend them extra smooth, and serve with sweet cream.
13. Roasted eggplant
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Season them with salt, pepper, garlic, and put some olive oil. You can bake them in the oven or grill them. In the end, add some chopped parsley, lemon juice, and parmesan for extra flavor.
14. Broccoli with cheese sauce
For this recipe, you can grill the broccoli, or fry them in a pan with olive oil or butter. Put the milk and cornstarch mixture in a pan. Then, put it in on the heat and stir until it’s thickened. Add the cheddar and parmesan and stir them until they are melted. Season with salt and pepper.
15. Vanilla custard
Something sweet for the end. This vanilla custard sauce pairs well with bread puddings, cakes, and other desserts. Place the milk, salt, flour, cinnamon or nutmeg, eggs, melted butter, and brown sugar in a pan and whisk until you get a mix.
Put the pan on the heat until thickened. Strain the sauce through a mesh sieve and add vanilla extract. Keep it in the refrigerator before serving.
Extra Tips
- If you don’t want to use the pierogi dough all at once you can freeze it. Before using it again let it sit for few minutes.
- You can fill pierogies with anything you want. Potatoes, mushrooms, minced cooked meat, or strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and many other fillings. There is no bad filling only bad taste.
- Cook the pierogies in salted water with some oil, so they don’t stick together.
- You can freeze already filled pierogi, but you have to slightly boil them, to prevent them from cracking.
- If you want to seal the edges or pierogi easier, wet the edges with some water.
- Don’t put too much filling in the pierogi because they will break.
- If you are serving some sauce with pierogies it’s best to put it in a dipping bowl on the side. Because too much sauce on the pierogies will make them soft and soggy.
- The sauce, topping, or side dish served with pierogies have to match with the filling inside. Because we don’t want too much different flavors that don’t match at once
Related Questions
What meat goes well with pierogies?
Pork meat, beef meat, sausages, chicken meat goes well with pierogies.
What goes with pierogies instead of sour cream?
Instead of sour cream pierogies goes well with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese,crèmeFraiche, and buttermilk.
Final Words
What to say more about pierogies.Soft tasty pillows which are full of surprises. One bite and the flavor will come out to please your senses. Traditionally pierogies are served without sauce or side dish. Just pierogies with some melted butter and fried onions or bacon on top.
For the sweet pierogies just some powdered sugar and melted butter.More simple so you could enjoy the taste of the pierogies and the filling inside. The decision is yours. Try them and let us know if you discover some new fillings and side dishes, so we could try them too.
