Oven Roasted Pierogies with Caramelized Onions

 

Oven Roasted Pierogies with Caramelized Onions. This was a recipe that I had pinned on Pinterest from a page called Hungry Wanderlust. They looked fabulously delicious and like such a simple make. (I did cut the recipe in half. See below for my version.)

I adore pierogies.  They are not something which I grew up with at all. They were not a part of the Nova Scotia food profile back then. They are quite common now, but we are a much more travelled people these days!

 

The first time I encountered Pierogies I had moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba with my second husband. They used to sell them there in the restaurants, deep-fried.  They looked interesting, but I did not try them. I was very young and still a bit hesitant to try something I wasn't used to.

The next time I encountered them was in Calgary, Alberta. I had made a good friend there named Esther, who was a member of the church I now belong to.  She was of Hungarian Descent.  Her family always had a tradition of making Pierogi for Christmas.

 

That first Christmas I spend in Calgary, far away from my family, Esther took me under her wing and showed me how to make Pierogi from scratch.  I fell in love with Pierogies then and have never looked back.

I much prefer to make my own from scratch, but will occasionally buy a frozen brand.  In the U.K. you could get fresh ones in the Polish section of the chiller at the grocery store. They had ones with sauerkraut in them.  I would buy them occasionally. They were excellent.

The ones Esther taught me how to make were filled with potato and cheese, and they are gorgeous.  I have never shared that recipe on here, but I think it is about time that I did.

 

I need to have a pierogi making day.  Especially after having been consistently disappointed by the frozen ones on offer here in Nova Scotia.  

There is nothing like a freshly made pierogi stuffed with a flavor filled potato and cheddar cheese filling. You can add a bit of grated onion if you want to, but I always just use the mashed potato and the grated cheddar cheese.  So delicious.

You are going to serve them with fried onions anyways, so there is no real need for onions in the filling. Watch this space.

I never make pierogies without thinking of my dear friend Esther.  She had had polio when she was a child and walked with walking canes. She had been told by her mother that she would never have a career or get married or anything. She proved them all wrong. There was nothing that Esther couldn't do once she put her mind to it.  She was such an inspiration to me. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago now.

I will always be grateful for the sweet women that were placed in my life to teach me how to be a better wife, mother and cook and one of those was Esther.  

Do try this recipe however, with the best frozen or homemade pierogi you can buy or make. You won't regret it. It is delicious!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OVEN ROASTED PIEROGIES WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Just a few simple ingredients.  Choose the best frozen pierogies you can find.

For the onions:

• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 TBS good balsamic vinegar (optional)

You will also need:

• 8 ounces (227g) frozen cheese pierogies
• light olive oil to coat

 

The onions are the star here. I would even go so far as to double the amount.  Can you ever have enough caramelized onions???  I think not!  I just used a plain brown skinned cooking onion.

I did use the Balsamic and I used a good quality Modena Balsamic. Not the most expensive one, but not the cheapest one either.

I used a frozen pierogi that I had not seen before. They were very small. The brand was Grandma's Pierogies.   I used the potato and cheddar cheese variety and I will be honest here. They did not have much flavor at all.  I would not buy them again.

So make sure you buy a pierogi that has a good flavor and that you enjoy! This brand was very disappointing, and I do NOT recommend them. They were really expensive as well. Just goes to show that price does not always equate flavor.

HOW TO MAKE OVEN ROASTED PIEROGIES WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Not at all difficult to do. Do use a well flavored pierogi that you and your family enjoy, or better yet, make them from scratch!

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a lipped baking tray large enough to hold your pierogi in one layer with some baking paper. Spritz with cooking spray.

Place the pierogi into a bowl. Add enough oil to coat them all completely, tossing the frozen pierogi with the oil. Make sure they are covered on both sides completely.

Spread your pierogi out on the baking tray in a single layer.

Pop the tray into the preheated oven and roast the pierogi for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cook time.

 

While the pierogi are roasting do your onions. Add the oil and butter to a medium skillet over medium heat.

Once the butter begins to foam add the onions. Toss with the butter/oil mixture to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes until they begin to caramelize.

If using the vinegar, add it now, combining it thoroughly. Turn off the heat.

Serve the caramelized onions on top of the roasted pierogies. Pass the sour cream

  

 This was delicious.  I would rather have had homemade pierogi but made do with the frozen ones from the shops. It was a very convenient way of cooking them without having to drag out my huge pot, etc.

Very simple to make and the caramelized onions were fabulous.  I did add the balsamic vinegar. Next time I made this I will use another brand of frozen pierogi, or homemade pierogi. 

I enjoyed mine with some dairy sour cream!

PIEROGI STUFFED SHELLS - A great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.  These taste just like the real deal but are a whole lot easier and quicker to make than pierogi from scratch. A four-ingredient knock-off those tastes delicious!

PIEROGI LASAGNA - This is a tried and true family favorite! It tastes just like pierogi without all of the faffing about.  No rolling out of dough, or filling, boiling, etc.  You simply fry some onions, cook some lasagna noodles and make some mashed potatoes. The potatoes are mixed with cheese and some of the fried onions and then layered with the noodles in a baking dish, and baked.  It's really easy and incredibly delicious!

Yield: two servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Oven Roasted Pierogies with Caramelized Onions

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

A simple supper of frozen cheese pierogies roasted in the oven and served with caramelized onions. I also like to serve some sour cream on the side.

Ingredients

For the onions:

• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 TBS good balsamic vinegar (optional)

You will also need:

• 8 ounces (227g) frozen cheese pierogies
• light olive oil to coat

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a lipped baking tray large enough to hold your pierogi in one layer with some baking paper. Spritz with cooking spray.
2. Place the pierogi into a bowl. Add enough oil to coat them all completely, tossing the frozen pierogi with the oil. Make sure they are covered on both sides completely.
3. Spread your pierogi out on the baking tray in a single layer.
4. Pop the tray into the preheated oven and roast the pierogi for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cook time.
5. While the pierogi are roasting do your onions. Add the oil and butter to a medium skillet over medium heat.
6. Once the butter begins to foam add the onions. Toss with the butter/oil mixture to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Cook, stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes until they begin to caramelize.
8. If using the vinegar, add it now, combining it thoroughly. Turn off the heat.
9. Serve the caramelized onions on top of the roasted pierogies. Pass the sour cream.

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