Easiest Ever Polish Pierogi Dough | Holiday Favorite

Whatever type of cheese or filling you use, here's a favorite family recipe for authentic easy Polish Pierogi Dough.

Eastern European Dumplings

As the Christmas season approaches, it's traditional to make Polish Pierogi dough for Christmas Eve. This year may be an exception for us, as I'm having a difficult time finding our favorite Farmer's Cheese. Some folks make their Polish pierogi filling out of cottage cheese, but in our family, it has to be the hard Andrulis farmer's cheese or the Krajanka brand of farmers cheese!

As a child I always watched my Mom make home-made Polish Pierogi. New Britain, Connecticut has a very large Polish population, so we are fortunate to have an abundance of mom and pop shops and Polish restaurants to purchase pierogi for those folks who like homemade pierogi but either don't know how to make this traditional dish themselves or don't have the time. There's also plenty of church fairs that will sell potato and cheese or sauerkraut pierogi at the food booths.

UPDATE: Had to drive to New Britain to buy the Farmer's cheese and there was plenty to be found! Check out the photos and also my recipe for the Sauerkraut Polish Pierogi filling.

Check out my recipe for Potato and Cheese Pierogi too

I like to make these ahead and freeze in my favorite Food Saver vacuum sealer machines to save time and money.

Polish Pierogi Dough Recipe

This is an easy family recipe to duplicate for authentic home-made Polish pierogi dough for Polish Dumplings.

What's really nice about it is that the dough is very elastic and forgiving, unlike some pasta dough.

My grown daughters as well as granddaughter have all grown up on cheese and potato and sauerkraut pierogies. I've taught my daughters how to make the dough as well as the filling so that they too can carry on the family tradition.

Clean up with some pretty crochet Handmade Cotton Dish Cloths from my Moomettes Crochet shop !

Authentic Easy Pierogi Dough Recipe

2 -1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
2/3 cup   ice water
1/2 tsp   salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbl vegtable oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 egg

Using a flour sifter, sift flour, salt & baking powder into bowl. Make a
 well in the center.  Mix egg, water and oil together
and pour into well of flour mixture.  Work into flour.
Knead until smooth and elastic. Place in warm
 place.  cover and let rest 30 min.  Roll out and cut in
circles and fill.  Cook in a large pot of boiling water 5 minutes then
let set for 5 min. more.

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Easter Kielbasa Recipe | Holiday Food Appetizers | Polish Traditions

A favorite Polish traditional food is Easter Kielbasa.  There's plenty of recipes for leftover kielbasa, if there are any leftovers ! Add to your charcuterie board!

Easter Kielbasa

Every Easter my mom would cook kielbasa which she would serve as an appetizer picky before dinner.

I've continued the tradition in my family, and now even my non-Polish extended family looks forward to me bringing the 'basa !

Easter Kielbasa is different than regular kielbasa.  To me, this Polish sausage is sweeter, and not so heavily spiced.  It's an easy Easter appetizer to bring to a buffet.

My granddaughter used to call them 'basi, but now calls them "Easter hot dogs."

The City of New Britain, Connecticut is known as the Polish Capitol.  Many Polish food stores and Polish restaurants can be found throughout the city.  There you can find all brands of Polish Kielbasa.

I particularly like the Martin Rosol's Polish Kielbasy which can also be found in local supermarkets in the meat department.  It has to say "Easter Kielbasa" on it, and it's only made for the Easter Holiday.

How To Cook Easter Kielbasa

My family method of cooking Easter Kielbasa is easy!  Simply place the kielbasa in a large frying pan, cover with water, and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Remove and refrigerate.  Then, simply slice the kielbasa and serve with traditional Polish Hot Horseradish mustard ! We also use the Bookbinders Stone Ground Dijon Mustard because the kids find the Horseradish Mustard a tad too hot.

Easy clean-up with my handmade crochet Dishcloths for sale in my Moomettes Crochet shops!

Check out our Easter Bunny Cake!

Other Polish traditional dishes -
Kapusta Soup (Sauerkraut Cabbage)
Golumpkii (Beef Cabbage)
Polish Pierogi

Happy Easter !

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Easy Potato Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling Recipe

Polish Pierogi with Potato and Cheese filling are a traditional Polish Christmas dish, especially on Christmas Eve and Easter. They're also known as croquettes, Eastern European Dumplings or Polish dumplings.

I learned to make pierogi from my mom and my aunts, and have passed the cooking skill and holiday tradition down to my youngest daughter.



At one point or another, everyone in my family has savored these tasty treats!  Everyone from my Irish husband, to charming son-in-law from Vermont!  When she was younger, my daughter even enjoyed teaching her cousin and my sister-in-law  how to make pierogi  at a sleep-over one night!  As toddlers, my daughters would ask for "more oggies!"  Now even 'Lil Moomette, my granddaughter enjoys "oggies."

Polish Pierogi Filling

There's many types of Polish Pierogi filling - they can be made with a fruit filling such as prunes, cottage cheese or sweet cheese (as  you'd find in a blintz.)

New Britain, Connecticut has an abundance of authentic, traditional Polish restaurants and specialty food stores, and has been featured on the Food Network.  If you're ever in the area, it's a good opportunity to enjoy the many different types of Polish food!

From Wikipedia:

New Britain has the largest Polish population of any city in Connecticut, and by 1930 a quarter of the city was ethnically Polish.[6] Also referred to as "Little Poland", the neighborhood has been home to a considerable number of Polish businesses and families since 1890. On September 23, 2008, through the urging of the Polonia Business Association, the New Britain City Council unanimously passed a resolution officially designating New Britain's Broad Street area as "Little Poland."

Because of its large Polish population, the city is playfully referred to as "New Britski".

Polish Pierogi filling requires a bit of time to make.  Of course the old saying is "Many hands make light work" so it isn't unusual that making Christmas Polish Pirogi becomes a family affair where a whole day is devoted to the event!  I posted an easy recipe for Pierogi dough that is a family favorite.

If you like the sauerkraut filling, check that out too!

Easy clean-up with these  crochet handmade dish cloths that I make at my Moomettes Crochet shop!

Here's my favorite recipe for Easy Potato and Farmer's Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling that I inherited from my mom and aunts.

Next, I'll show you how to make a Potato-Sauerkraut filling for Pierogi. Be sure to follow my Facebook updates so you won't miss it!

I like to make pierogi ahead to freeze in my Food Saver vacuum sealer machine to save time and money.

Easy Potato and Farmer's Cheese Polish Pierogi Filling

1 tbl grated or finely chopped onion
2 tbs butter
1 cup or less cold mashed potatoes
2 cups Andrulis Farmer's cheese
2 to 3 egg yolks
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook onion in butter.
Mix onion with potatoes, farmers cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Blend well.
Place cheese filling on half of circle of dough.
Fold over making half circles and press open edges with floured fork or fingers. Make sure pierogi are well sealed.
Set aside until all dough and filling is used.
Boil 3 qts. water in a large stock pot with 1 Tbl salt.
While water is boiling gently drop or slide pierogi a few at a time. Do not crowd. Stir gently with wooden spoon to separate and to keep from sticking to each other.
Boil rapidly for 3 to 5 minutes.

Can be frozen.

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Authentic Polish Golumpki Recipe | Stuffed Cabbage Rolls | Polish Food

The cool fall weather and end of Daylight Savings Time means my family gets a hankering for some good old-fashioned Comfort food.   This Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Golabki or Authentic Polish Golumpki  - Polish Casserole recipe makes a delicious, satisfying supper for your family. Make this lazy deconstructed casserole for the holidays - traditional Easter or Christmas dish.

 Authentic Polish Golumpki Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

My daughter wanted to learn how to make these easy Polish Stuffed Cabbage with sweet and sour tomato sauce.   It's nice to pass on ethnic family traditions.  Golumpki is very much like stuffed peppers, except with cabbage, and the meat mixture is very much like you would use for a meatloaf.

The Polish Casserole Dish Golumpki recipe itself is easy, however it is very time consuming, so plan ahead!  The taste of this traditional comfort food is worth the effort.  It took us about 2 hours to make.  We doubled the recipe and made about 48 Golumpki.

Each tray held about 6 medium size stuffed cabbage.  My daughter took 3 trays home, I gave one to another daughter, and kept 3 casserole dishes for ourselves, which became freezer meals.  We usually have the kids stop in for dinner so it's nice to have a meal on-hand for unexpected company!

If there's extra small cabbage leaves and meat filling left over, I turn it into Lazy Golumpki

If you're looking for the Polish Dumplings, or Authentic Polish Pierogi, I've shared our family recipe for Polish Pierogi Dough, and also the Potato and Farmer's Cheese Pierogi fillings.

Usually we make the Pierogi around the Christmas holiday season.  I have several upcoming craft fairs scheduled, and have been busy stocking my Moomettes Crochet shop with some pretty Handmade Crochet Dish Cloths  for the season!  We might have to get an earlier start this year and freeze them.  Take a peek:

Golumpki Polish Food

Here's the recipe we used for our Polish Golumpki, or Stuffed Cabbage and meat filling:

1 Green Cabbage, large

*Meat Filling*
2 lbs. Ground Beef (or use Meatloaf Mix)
1/2 c. Minute Rice
1 egg
1/2 c. Bread Crumbs, plain
1/2 c. water
salt, pepper to taste

*Sauce:*
2 (14 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce
2 tbl. Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp. White Vinegar
1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Boil cabbage in a large stock pot until almost soft. Drain, separate each leaf and cool.

Prepare meat mixture (ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, water, rice, salt, pepper)

Prepare sauce (tomato sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, lemon juice) and bring to a slight boil

Stuff each cabbage leaf with 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture. Roll up and tuck in ends.  Secure with toothpick

Cover bottom of baking dish with sauce.  Place Golumpki seam side down in pan.  Cover with more sauce.

Bake for 1-1/2 hours at 350 degree oven.

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