Pierogi Stuffed Shells

 

I love Pierogi.  They are one of my favorite foods of all time. They were not something I grew up with, but something which I discovered when I moved out to Winnipeg to get married in 1977.  

I remember being in a restaurant at Polo Park and my husband told me I should try Pierogi.  They were actually deep fried and came to the table all crisp and hot with a small bowl of sour cream and garnished with fried onions.  I fell in love.

 

We left Winnipeg a year later and moved to Calgary. I made friends with a lovely woman named Esther. Esther had had polio when she was a child and walked with the aid of crutches.  She was of Ukrainian descent.

She was such a dear friend to me. That first Christmas in Calgary she came over on Christmas Eve and showed me how to make Pierogi from scratch.  Apparently it was a Christmas tradition in her family.  

 

We enjoyed them boiled and then dropped into melted butter and lightly sauteed along with onions until they were golden brown and the onions lightly caramelized.  We enjoyed them with sour cream of course.

I will always be indebted to Esther for showing me how to make a really delicious food from scratch.  Esther passed away a few years ago now.  I still miss her, but I never make pierogi without thinking about her and our friendship.

 

I discovered this recipe I am sharing with you today on a blog called Real Life Dinner.  It sounded quick, delicious and easy. 

I did put my own twist on it and I cut the amount in half to serve only 3 people instead of 6.  It was very simple to make. You can make mashed potatoes from scratch or use leftover mashed potatoes, so its a great way to cut down on waste.

Its also very cheap and economical to make, especially if you buy your cheese when its on offer like I do!!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PIEROGI STUFFED SHELLS

It may look like a lot of ingredients, but its really not much. You really need only four main ingredients.  Mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and pasta shells. The rest is the icing on a very tasty cake.

For the potato filling:

• 1 1/2 cups leftover or fresh mashed potatoes
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 of your caramelized onions (see instructions)

For the caramelized onions:

• 1 medium to large onion, peeled and finely chopped (amount depends on how much you like onions)
• 1 TBS butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar

You will also need:

• 12 large pasta shells, cooked in lightly salted water
• 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• the other half of the caramelized onions
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• sour cream and additional fried onions to serve

 

I use strong cheddar cheese because you get loads more flavor for your money.  I always think anything less flavorful gets lost in a dish like this where it is combined with so many other things.

Adding a bit of sugar to the onions really helps them to caramelize nicely and enhances their natural sweetness.

I add a bit of stock to the bottom of the baking dish to help prevent the pasta shells from drying out. Where there is no sauce in this recipe, it is very easy for them to dry out.

 

Whisking a bit of sour cream into the mashed potatoes along with the cheese adds a nice rich flavor and loosens them up a tiny bit making the mixture easier to stuff into the shells.  I also like to add some of the caramelized onions to the potatoes.

I probably make twice as many onions as this recipe calls for because I love to serve the finished shells with additional fried onions as well.  But you can make as much or as little an amount of fried onions as you want.

 

HOW TO MAKE PIEROGI STUFFED SHELLS

These are really a lot less complicated to make than regular pierogi.  There is no rolling out of the dough, crimping or boiling!  Easy peasy!!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/ 180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold all your shells. Butter the casserole dish with softened butter.

To caramelize the onions melt the butter in a medium sized non-stick pan. Add the onions, some seasoning and the sugar. Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently until the onion has softened and begun to caramelize.

 

Warm up the mashed potatoes for a minute or so in the microwave. Whisk the potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste for the filling, using an electric whisk. If the mixture seems too thick you can beat in a small amount of milk. Stir in half of the caramelized onions.

Stuff the potato filling into the cooked pasta shells, about 2 to 3 TBS each. Place the stuffed shells into the buttered casserole dish.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top of the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with the remaining caramelized onions. Pour the chicken stock, carefully into the bottom of the pan.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbling and the shells are heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve hot with sour cream to spoon over top and additional fried onions if you wish.

 

These were really surprisingly good. The shells were not quite as tender as the original pierogi dough is. If I made them again I would cook them for a bit longer, but they were quite delicious.

I found myself wondering what they would be like baked on a bed of a sour cream sauce, with a bit more drizzled on top.  I may try that sometime just to see.

In the meantime, although not quite as satisfying as the real deal, these were very good and this carboholic really enjoyed them with some additional sour cream, more onions and a tasty salad on the side.

 

Here are a few other ways to enjoy stuffed shells.  You will want to use up the box won't you!

TACO STUFFED SHELLS -  This was something that my boys always enjoyed and that I used to make for the Missionaries sometimes when I had them over for supper.  Pasta shells stuffed with a tasty beef taco filling, topped with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese, then baked to perfection. Served hot with your favorite taco toppings they always go down a real treat!

CHEESY SHELL STUFFED SHELLS -  This is a personal favorite of mine. Shells are stuffed with a lush mac and cheese made using miniature shells.  Napped with a marinara and more cheese and baked until all gooey and rich. Can you ever have too much cheese? I think not!  This one spells W-I-N-N-E-R!!!

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Pierogi Stuffed Shells

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Quick and easier than regular pierogi, but with the same delicious flavors. You can use fresh mashed potatoes if you wish.

Ingredients

For the potato filling

• 1 1/2 cups leftover or fresh mashed potatoes
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup (120g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 of your caramelized onions (see instructions)

For the caramelized onions:

• 1 medium to large onion, peeled and finely chopped (amount depends on how much you like onions)
• 1 TBS butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar

You will also need:

• 12 large pasta shells, cooked in lightly salted water
• 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• the other half of the caramelized onions
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• sour cream and additional fried onions to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/ 180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold all your shells. Butter the casserole dish with softened butter.
2. To caramelize the onions melt the butter in a medium sized non-stick pan. Add the onions, some seasoning and the sugar. Cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently until the onion has softened and begun to caramelize.
3. Warm up the mashed potatoes for a minute or so in the microwave. Whisk the potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste for the filling, using an electric whisk. If the mixture seems too thick you can beat in a small amount of milk. Stir in half of the caramelized onions.
4. Stuff the potato filling into the cooked pasta shells, about 2 to 3 TBS each. Place the stuffed shells into the buttered casserole dish.
5. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top of the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with the remaining caramelized onions. Pour the chicken stock, carefully into the bottom of the pan.
6. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbling and the shells are heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Serve hot with sour cream to spoon over top and additional fried onions if you wish.

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