I have to say this right off the bat: you’re not very likely to find Pan-Fried Pierogi with Bacon & Sauerkraut prepared quite like this anywhere. I’ve never seen a recipe where Polish pierogi and sauerkraut are combined in this specific way. Sauerkraut inside the dumplings is common, but serving it alongside the dumplings is pretty rare, I’d say. But that shouldn’t stop us… The combination is delicious, and we’ll definitely be making it more often from now on.
Pierogi are usually served just as they are – boiled or lightly pan-fried, maybe drizzled with melted butter, topped with sautéed onions, or served with a dollop of sour cream. You rarely see these little dumplings as part of a dish with other ingredients mixed in. But I figured: if I can pan-fry the dumplings, surely they work great in the pan with other ingredients, too. People frequently do that with Gyoza, don’t they – which are also delicious dumplings. And it works.
If anyone sees this and typically prepares their pierogi according to an old family recipe – without any bells and whistles – and feels their culinary honor offended by this recipe… I am so sorry! That wasn’t my intention! But maybe it’s worth trying something new. The result might just be delicious… ;P
I love me some German Schupfnudeln (aka. thick potato noodles) with sauerkraut – the kind of dish you can find on every street corner back home where I come from. So, for me, skillet dishes with a hearty portion of sauerkraut and bacon are totally normal. Well, and when I saw pierogi and Schupfnudeln sitting side-by-side in the supermarket, I thought to myself… why not prepare pierogi the same way as my beloved Schupfnudeln?! This is bound to taste amazing.
I have to admit that, so far, I’ve only ever bought pierogi rather than making them from scratch myself. I’ve made Schupfnudeln from scratch plenty of times, but somehow I’ve never really found the time for the filled Polish dumplings. That’s definitely going to change soon, though. And when I do make my own pierogi, I’ll serve them exactly the way they’re meant to be served. I promise.
The pierogi I used here had a ground meat and onion filling, if I recall correctly. Of course, you could just as easily use pierogi with a veggie filling instead. And if you swap the bacon for a vegetarian or vegan alternative (there are plenty of options out there these days), you can easily make this dish vegetarian or even vegan.
If you’re making your own pierogi, you can obviously use whatever filling you like. To take things to the next level, you could even fill the dumplings with sauerkraut and bacon. Now that would be something, wouldn’t it? Inception is calling…
Jokes aside – we have another pierogi recipe on the blog that’s also a bit unconventional, I’d say: a delicious Pierogi Skillet with Krakauer. It’s a very hearty dish. Maybe a bit »heavy« or let’s say »substantial« – but absolutely delicious! Like this one, though, the pierogi are not exactly prepared in the classic way…
We also have the inspiration for all of this right here on the blog: classic German Schupfnudeln with Sauerkraut. Made with homemade Schupfnudeln, of course. Occasionally it’s worth the effort – though usually, the store-bought noodles work perfectly well for this dish.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
some oil or butter for frying
21 oz. (600g) pierogi (e.g., filled with meat)
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
5.3 oz. (150g) bacon, finely diced
14 oz. (400g) sauerkraut*
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds* (optional)
salt, pepper
(4 Personen)
etwas Öl oder Butter zum Anbraten
600g Pierogi (z.B. mit Fleischfüllung)
1 große Zwiebel, in dünne Spalten
150g Speck, fein gewürfelt
400g Sauerkraut*
1/2 TL Kümmelsamen (ganz)* (optional)
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the onion, halve it, and cut it into thin wedges. Finely dice the bacon. Set aside.
2. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil or butter. Fry the pierogi for a few minutes until they have browned a bit on all sides. Remove from the pan and set them aside.
2. If necessary, add a little more oil/butter to the frying pan, then sauté the onions for about 2–3 minutes. Next, add the diced bacon and fry it along with the onions for a few minutes. Once the bacon and onions have taken on some color, add the sauerkraut and caraway seeds (optional) and fry everything together for about 4–5 minutes – stirring or turning frequently to prevent anything from burning. Return the pierogi to the frying pan and heat them once again with the rest of the ingredients for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
1. Die Zwiebel schälen, halbieren und in dünne Spalten schneiden. Den Speck fein würfeln. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Eine große Pfanne mit etwas Öl oder Butter erhitzen. Die Pierogi einige Minuten anbraten, bis sie rundum Farbe bekommen haben. Aus der Pfanne nehmen und zur Seite stellen.
2. Falls notwendig, noch etwas Öl/Butter zur Pfanne dazugeben und die Zwiebeln dann für etwa 2-3 Minuten anschwitzen lassen. Als Nächstes den gewürfelten Speck dazugeben und einige Minuten mit anbraten. Wenn Speck und Zwiebeln etwas Farbe bekommen haben, das Sauerkraut und die Kümmelsamen (optional) dazugeben und alles für etwa 4-5 Minuten anbraten – immer wieder umrühren/wenden, damit nichts anbrennt. Die angebratenen Pierogi zur Pfanne dazugeben und noch einmal mit dem Rest einige Minuten erhitzen. Nach Belieben mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Pan-Fried Pierogi with Bacon & Sauerkraut
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 00:20
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
A simple and easy-to-prepare weeknight dinner for everyone who loves stuff with sauerkraut: Pan-fried Pierogi with Bacon & Sauerkraut.
Ingredients
some oil or butter for frying
21 oz. (600g) pierogi (e.g., filled with meat)
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
5.3 oz. (150g) bacon, finely diced
14 oz. (400g) sauerkraut*
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds* (optional)
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Peel the onion, halve it, and cut it into thin wedges. Finely dice the bacon. Set aside.
2. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil or butter. Fry the pierogi for a few minutes until they have browned a bit on all sides. Remove from the pan and set them aside.
2. If necessary, add a little more oil/butter to the frying pan, then sauté the onions for about 2–3 minutes. Next, add the diced bacon and fry it along with the onions for a few minutes. Once the bacon and onions have taken on some color, add the sauerkraut and caraway seeds (optional) and fry everything together for about 4–5 minutes – stirring or turning frequently to prevent anything from burning. Return the pierogi to the frying pan and heat them once again with the rest of the ingredients for a few more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
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