Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies

Grandma Mary made the best Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies around! Whenever we left Winnipeg at Christmas, she'd send us home with dozens. And when she was coming to visit Calgary, we'd anxiously await our perogies, which she'd dole out by the pie plate full. Frozen perogies layered between sheets of wax paper in aluminum pie plates, wrapped up in newspapers; that's the way Mary packaged them. She always said they kept best that way. They were, by far, the best authentic perogies ever!

Mary passed away nearly 15 years ago and we miss her dearly. But she lives on through her perogies. And we were lucky enough to not only be blessed with this recipe, but to have the opportunity to watch the master perogy maker at work and record her technique for this wonderful recipe! 

I grew up on perogies and I still love them; they are the ultimate comfort food! Every Sunday when we went to Baba's, there'd always be perogies, along with  Borscht ,  Cabbage Rolls with  kubassa and something sweet with poppy seed (you'll want to try my  Lemon Poppy Seed Torte with Raspberry Curd Filling & White Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting!) But sadly, I never got my Baba's perogy recipe, or any of her recipes for that matter. I was only 12 when I lost her. 

On the eve of what would have been our Malanka, our dance school's Ukrainian New Year's celebration (cancelled due to covid this year),  I am remembering and missing the people, the music, the dancing and the perogies, while drowning my sorrows in homemade perogies. This is a photo of me at Malanka 2020. Good times!~

However, I am so very grateful to have Grandma Mary's perogy recipe and honored to be able to share it. Mary was my husband's Grandma and it was a pleasure to have known her and shared so many years with her. She was a strong, wise, kind, generous and beautiful soul. 

For countless years, every Saturday, she would toil away making hundreds of perogies that she so graciously shared with her family, friends and neighbors. And anyone who was lucky enough to be a recipient of a loaded pie plate wrapped in newspaper, was not only filled with gratitude, but left wanting for more. Even when she was in her 90's and had a harder time getting around, she'd perch on the stool in her kitchen and make dozens of perogies. You could tell it was important to her, as it was to all of of us.

🥘🥔 🧀 Ingredients

These are true authentic and traditional Ukrainian perogies! Ukrainian food is actually pretty plain, simple and economical. These pierogies are made with simple ingredients like potato, dry cottage cheese, with a simple dough, then boiled, fried in real butter and smothered in fried bacon and onions. 

I grew up on potato and cheddar pierogies, but my Baba's perogies were either cheddar cheese and potato or sauerkraut. I had never even heard of dry cottage cheese pierogies until I met my husband and his Grandma's perogies. And I fell in love with them! The dry curd cottage cheese gives these perogies an interesting and unique texture; different from the typical potato and cheese pierogi.

For this perogy recipe, you'll need:

• flour
• salt
• butter
• milk
• potatoes
• dry cottage cheese
• pepper
• onions- optional
• bacon - optional
• sour cream - optional

*see recipe card for quantities

🔪Instructions

🥟How to make perogies

To help you make the best perogies (that stay together), I have included step by step photos of how to make perogies, as well as a video! Perogies are not hard to make, but they are pretty labor intensive. That's why it costs so much to buy homemade perogies.

1. Mix all perogy dough ingredients together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then with your hands. Keep mixing with your hands until the dough comes away from the sides and off your hands. Meanwhile, keep sprinkling with extra flour (about ½ cup) and mix flour in. Then cover (with airtight lid) and rest the dough for about an hour
2. Cottage Cheese & Potato Filling: Peel and chop potatoes, place potatoes in hot water and boil potatoes until a fork goes easily through potatoes. Drain. Mash cooked potatoes together with dry cottage cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside
3. Assembly: Place dough on floured surface and separate dough into 4 wedges

4. Roll out one of the 4 parts to ⅛ inch thickness (this will require a lot of muscle!)
5. Cut dough into circles with perogy cutter or you can use anything round that's about 2-3 inches in diameter. *2.5 inches is ideal and what I used. Repeat with remaining dough wedges.
6. Add a small amount (about 1-2 teaspoons) of filling to the centre of each circle. Dip your finger in hot water and run it around the outside of the circle, this will help to seal the perogy.

7. Pinch together in the middle. Then work your way around the edge, pinching, while ensuring the filling stays in.
8. Keep pinching until your perogy is completed sealed. *It's important it's completely sealed so it will not come apart during the boiling process.
9. Place perogies in a single layer on a baking sheet (I find this best because you can fit a lot on), but you'll probably need more than one.

10. Boil a large pot of water and add perogies (you only want to add about a dozen at a time.) Cook first batch of perogies in boiling water (rolling boil). *The perogies will float to the top when they are ready.
11. Remove with slotted spoon. Add to bowl with ⅓ cup melted butter (add more as needed, depending on how many perogies you are making.) As you move perogies from bowl to frying pan, add more butter, as needed) *This is the method Mary always used. *Repeat for each batch (about a dozen at a time) *NOTE: At this point, if you plan to freeze them, you'll want to put them back onto parchment paper (or wax paper) lined cookie sheets. Space them so they are not touching and freeze them on the cookie sheets for 4-6 hours. Once frozen, you can move them into large freezer bags for long-term freezing. (* I did not photograph, as we did not freeze any this time.)
12. In a large skillet, fry perogies over medium-high heat with additional butter (as needed) I use an additional 2-3 tbsps.

🎥Video

See VIDEO - how to make a cottage cheese and potato perogies

🥂Have a Perogy Party!

So, I would recommend you have a PEROGY PARTY instead of trying to make 90 perogies on your own! Get some relatives and/or friends together and share the work. Many hands make light work. It's a lot more fun, you don't have to do all the work yourself and everyone gets to leave with perogies! You can set up an assembly line to make it go smoother. And drinking wine while making perogies is perfectly acceptable- it's a party, after all!  I have had a few perogy parties in my day, but this year, in the midst of the pandemic, it was the smallest party I've ever hosted- just the 4 of us (my immediate family) But it was still a good time!

👪 Serving Size

This perogy recipe makes 90 perogies. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really isn't, especially if you have others helping and have to split them up. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like to make. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🍽Equipment

You'll need a perogy cutter (or anything round that's 2-3 inches in diameter) to cut them/a glass or mug etc.. ) a potato masher, a large pot, a large skillet, a cutting board and a rolling pin.

🥗What to serve with perogies

Perogies can be a side dish or a main dish, but I also like to serve them with kielbassa, Ukrainian Borscht Soup (with beef), Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls, beets and a dollop of sour cream too, of course!!

So, if you're looking for a simple, delicious and unique homemade pierogi recipe, then give this one a try! And why not try my Saskatoon Berry Dessert Perogies?- it's a great recipe! I use the same dough from this recipe to make them (and you'll have a lot! ) Happy Perogy making and eating!

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📋Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies Recipe

This Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies recipe is from the master perogy maker, Grandma Mary Rudy! Made with dry cottage cheese, potatoes and a simple perogy dough, boiled, fried in butter and smothered with onions, bacon and sour cream, these homemade, traditional perogies are both delicious and authentic.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Urkainian

Keyword: cottage cheese, perogy, pierogi, potato

Servings: 90 perogies

Calories: 49kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rolling, filling and pinching: 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 6 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Mary's Perogy Dough ingredients

• ▢ 5 cups flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup butter or margarine melted
• ▢ 2 cups scalded milk

Cottage Cheese & Potato Filling

• ▢ 4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 600 g -carton of dry cottage cheese
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Cooking

• ▢ ⅓ cup butter for post boiled perogies approximately
• ▢ 3 tablespoon (or more) butter for frying

Garnish

• ▢ fried onions
• ▢ fried bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Perogy Dough

• Mix all perogy dough ingredients together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then with your hands. Keep mixing with your hands until the dough comes away from the sides and off your hands.
• Meanwhile, keep sprinkling with extra flour (about ½ cup) and mix flour in.
  
• Then cover (with airtight lid) and rest the dough for about an hour

Cottage Cheese & Potato Filling

• Peel and chop potatoes, place potatoes in hot water and boil potatoes until a fork goes easily through potatoes. Drain.
• Mash cooked potatoes together with dry cottage cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside.
  

Assembly

• Place dough on floured surface and separate dough into 4 wedges
  
• Roll out one of the 4 parts to ⅛ inch thickness (this will require a lot of muscle!)
  
• Cut dough into circles with perogy cutter or you can use anything round that's about 2-3 inches in diameter. *2.5 inches is ideal and what I used. Repeat with remaining dough wedges.
  
• Add a small amount (about 1-2 teaspoons) of filling to the centre of each circle.
  
• Dip your finger in hot water and run it around the outside of the circle, this will help to seal the perogy.
  
• Pinch together in the middle (See VIDEO - how to make a cottage cheese and potato perogy)
  
• Then work your way around the edge, pinching, while ensuring the filling stays in.
  
• Keep pinching until your perogy is completed sealed. *It's important it's completely sealed so it will not come apart during the boiling process.
  
• Place perogies in a single layer on a baking sheet (I find this best because you can fit a lot on), but you'll probably need more than one.
  

Cooking

• Boil a large pot of water and add perogies (you only want to add about a dozen at a time.)
  
• Cook first batch of perogies in boiling water (rolling boil). *The perogies will float to the top when they are ready.
  
• Remove with a slotted spoon.
  
• Add to bowl with ⅓ cup melted butter (add more as needed, depending on how many perogies you are making.) As you move perogies from bowl to frying pan, add more butter, as needed) *This is the method Mary always used.
  
• Repeat for each batch (about a dozen at a time)
• *NOTE: At this point, if you plan to freeze them, you'll want to put them back onto parchment paper (or wax paper) lined cookie sheets. Space them so they are not touching and freeze them on the cookie sheets for 4-6 hours. Once frozen, you can move them into large freezer bags for long-term freezing. * I did not photograph, as we did not freeze any this time.
• In a large skillet, fry perogies over medium-high heat with additional butter (as needed) I use an additional 2-3 tbsps.
  
• Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and fry until golden brown on the other. Remove from heat. (Fry bacon and onions in separate frying pans, frying onions in additional butter for best results)
  

Garnish

• Fry bacon and sautee onion and top perogies with crisp bacon and carmelized onions, as well as sour cream if desired. Serve!
  

Video

https://foodmeanderings.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-to-make-a-Cottage-Cheese-and-Potato-perogy.mov

Notes

*NOTE: See post content for important recipe information and tips!

Nutrition

Serving: 1perogy | Calories: 49kcal (2%) | Carbohydrates: 9g (3%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 1g (2%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 75mg (3%) | Potassium: 90mg (3%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 36IU (1%) | Vitamin C: 3mg (4%) | Calcium: 14mg (1%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)

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🥟More Ukrainian Pierogi Recipes!

• Loaded Pierogi Soup
• Easy Pierogi Stuffed Mushrooms
• Pierogi Breakfast Casserole
• Halloween Phantom Pierogi Pizza Pockets

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