What makes it lazy?

Both Carmen and StephLove asked me about my lazy pierogie last week, so here is a post dedicated to one of my very favorite foods.

I am asked more often than you think for this recipe and people are always surprised at how few ingredients there are in it. My mother has been making it for as long as I can remember. What makes it a lazy pierogie is that you don’t tediously roll out dough and painstakingly fill it with ingredients before par-boiling and then baking/frying the finished product. (Don’t worry, my very Polish mother does that too.) What makes them lazy is that you use regular old noodles from your pantry, and the whole process takes maybe an hour instead of 2 days.

Many people like to make lazy pierogie with cream of mushroom soup. I say this is unnecessary and that it binds up your noodles. Other people add meat to it. Nope. Not here. But it is good with some fresh sausage on the side. You can do what you want, of course, and I too have enjoyed the variations of this dish, but at least make my version once. And if you are not a convert, well, I’ll kind of think you are lying.

I’m going to tell you the right way to make it. I will tell you that it is almost as good if you cut some of the butter out. This is one recipe where I won’t compromise the butter though, and I think it’s worth it in a world where we already make many compromises to do the right, heart healthy low fat thing. Besides, if you cut the butter my mother will cry. You don’t want her to cry now, do you?

So. Without further ado, here it is:

Saly’s Lazy Pierogie

Ingredients
4 sticks of butter
1 ½ large sweet onions, diced (I usually end up throwing in 2 whole onions, because I LOVE onions)
4lbs sauerkraut, squeezed and drained but NOT rinsed (you need to preserve the krauty goodness)
1.5 lbs rotini noodles, cooked
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large frying pan (seriously, use your biggest one or you will be sorry), melt 2 sticks of butter.
2. When butter is melted add diced onions and sauté until brown and soft
3. Add 3rd stick of butter and melt
4. Reduce heat to low, combine sauerkraut with the onion, and cook for about 30-45 minutes until the kraut is browning (but not burning) and soft. Stir it up every so often so it cooks evenly and give it a taste—if it needs salt and pepper, go for it.
5. Combine sauerkraut mixture with cooked noodles (add more salt and pepper if necessary—the kraut really sort of sucks it up) in the baking dish of your choice, and dot the top with remaining butter.
6. Cover, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. This melds the flavors and just makes it delicious.
7. Stir, and serve!

This dish is a staple for us at picnics and pot lucks. I almost never bring any home, which is actually disappointing, because the leftovers are phenomenal.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out, ok? Or if you have tried a variation of this let me know too. I’d like to figure out a good way to make this with farmer’s cheese instead of sauerkraut too. Then I could have my two favorite kinds of pierogie in lazy form!