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Potato and cheese pierogi served

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

These potato and cheese pierogi — known in Poland as pierogi ruskie — are one of the most traditional Polish pierogi fillings. Made with creamy mashed potatoes, tangy farmer’s cheese (or cream cheese), and sautéed onion, they’re classic Polish comfort food.
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Polish
Keyword: pierogi, potatoes
Servings: 4

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Equipment

Ingredients

Pierogi Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour ~250g
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tbsp oil
  • ½ cup boiling water ~120ml

Potato and Cheese Pierogi Filling

  • 4 medium-sized potatoes about 1 pound or 450 grams
  • 7 oz farmer's cheese or cream cheese about 200g
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream optional
  • salt for cooking

Instructions

Make Dough

  • Boil Water: Boil a pot of water.
    ½ cup boiling water
  • Mix Flour & Salt: Add flour and salt into a large bowl and mix.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt
  • Wet Ingredients: Add oil and boiled water.
    1 ½ tbsp oil
  • Mix Ingredients: Mix the ingredients by stirring with a spoon. Be careful not to burn yourself. Once there is no visible water in the bowl, use your hands to knead the dough until it is a homogeneous ball.
  • Wrap and Rest: Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes before continuing.
  • Make Pierogi: Once the wait is over, the dough is ready for rolling and making pierogi.

Prep Filling

  • Cook Potatoes: Peel, quarter, and boil potato in salted water until fork-tender.
    4 medium-sized potatoes
  • Sauté Onion: Chop and sauté in oil or butter until soft. Remove and set aside.
    1 medium onion
  • Mash Potatoes: Drain, mash, and mix in butter and optional sour cream (mind the texture!).
    1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 tablespoon butter
  • Make Filling: Mix mashed potatoes, sautéed onion, pepper, and cheese. Adjust seasoning if needed.
    1/4 teaspoon pepper, 7 oz farmer's cheese or cream cheese

Combine

  • Roll Out Dough: Divide the pierogi dough into two or three parts. Then, spread one on a floured work surface and roll it out until it's thin. It shouldn't be super thin so that you can still stretch it when forming the pockets.
  • Cut Dough: Cut palm-sized circles in the rolled pierogi dough using a cookie cutter or glass.
  • Fill: Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together, starting in the middle. Leave as little air as possible in the pocket you're forming. To help form a good seal, moisten the outer edge of the dough using a wet finger.
  • Store: Place each formed pierogi on a floured cookie sheet and cover them with a damp kitchen towel.

Cook

  • Boil Water: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I typically use one teaspoon of salt per quart of water but feel free to adjust the amount to your preferences.
  • Cook: Once the water is boiling, add a few pierogi to the pot and stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Once the pierogi start floating to the surface, simmer them gently for another 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot so that the pierogi don't stick together or cook unevenly.
    salt
  • Serve: Remove the pierogi from the water using a slotted spoon and serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Notes

For storage and reheating instructions, see the Pierogi 101 guide. If you want to freeze the leftovers, check out my freezing pierogi guide.
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