If you love pierogies, you are going to LOVE this soup! This Loaded Pierogi Soup captures all the beloved flavors of those traditional dumplings, without the hours spent pinching dough! I have taken all the goodness of loaded perogies and created a creamy and delicious soup from those flavors! It's surprisingly quick and easy to make. Bacon, potatoes, cheddar cheese, cabbage, fried onions, and sour cream are combined to create a creamy broth that's hearty enough for a meal!
This perogy soup is pure comfort food on a chilly day, but it's great any time of the year. It's also the perfect soup for lunch or dinner and a great idea for a Father's Day. Plus it's ideal when you're short on time because it can be made ahead, uses ingredients you already have on hand, and can be whipped up in about 45 minutes. This recipe was the inspiration behind my Creamy Zucchini Potato soup! And be sure to check out my collection of Healthy Fall Soup recipes!
🍒Reader Review
"This soup is so easy and a huge hit in our house by everyone!! Definitely a cold day staple!~⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Nicky, Pinterest Follower
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Being Ukrainian, I’m just a wee bit perogy crazy. Perogies were pretty much served at every meal at Baba's so we ate a lot of them. However, nowadays that's just not practical. Perogies take a long time to make and the store-bought ones just don't cut it!
So, this isn’t your grandmother’s pierogi soup… it’s better! This easy version captures all the goodness of classic pierogies without all the work!
So... because I'm such a big fan of perogies, I have created a number of pierogi recipes that are also easy to make! You can find my Award-Winning Pierogi Potato Salad and other Ukrainian recipes here! This perogy soup is a great way to get your pierogi fix without all the work of making perogies.
Why this Recipe Works!
- This recipe works because it focuses on the key flavor components of loaded pierogies: the creamy potatoes, savory bacon, sharp cheddar, and tangy sour cream. By combining these elements in a soup, it achieves a similar taste experience without the fuss of making individual dumplings.
- This recipe brings the distinct flavor of pierogies, while offering more variety by mixing up the way you eat them. The delicious soup uses bacon, cabbage, potatoes and sour cream to capture the very essence of pierogies!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
I tried to keep this recipe lighter, so you don't need heavy cream. However, you will need:
- Butter. I use unsalted butter because it allows me to control the salt in the recipe. Salted butter can vary by brand in terms of salt content.
- Potatoes. I'd recommend using russet potatoes to make this soup because they break down easily and are high in starch, which results in a thicker soup. Yukon Gold potatoes also work well for a creamier and silkier texture.
- Chicken broth. You can simply use water with chicken bouillon or homemade chicken stock.
- Bacon. I use Costco bacon because it's precooked and quick and easy with less mess! But you could use any type of bacon, even smoked bacon.
- Milk. I use 1% milk because it's what I have on hand, but you can use 2%, skim or whole.
- Cheddar cheese. I use sharp/old cheddar cheese because it provides the best flavor and melt for this soup. A mild cheddar won't offer the same depth of flavor. Avoid pre-shredded cheese, as they often contain anti-caking agents and don't melt as well.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Dill: Use dried dill if you don't have fresh dill, but you'll only need about ½ the amount.
- Celery: Use fresh celery if you don't have celery seed
- Spice: Spice it up with crushed red pepper flakes
- Bacon: You can add the bacon with the vegetables and puree them together (I did this when I had dental surgery!)
🔪How to Make Pierogi Soup
- Step 1: On medium heat, in a large saucepan, melt butter and saute chopped onion. Add garlic (if using).
- Step 2: Add potatoes, cabbage, celery seed and chicken stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Step 3: Meanwhile, cook bacon in microwave (if using pre-cooked) or on stove top. Remove as much grease as possible by patting with a paper towel and chop. Set aside.
- Step 4: Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and add to food processor.
- Step 5: Combine removed vegetables with flour, milk, and sour cream in a food processor or blender. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. * It's best to puree in 2 batches. Or use an immersion blender (if you have one) to puree it right in the pot.
*Add in the bacon and puree if you need to soup to be completely smooth.
- Step 6: Return puree to soup. Then add cheese, and bacon and reheat. Add salt and pepper to your liking. You can chop about a tablespoon of dill and add it in at this time -that's what I like to do. Garnish with bacon bits, dill, and if desired, bits of grated cheese and/or sour cream (optional)
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don't refrigerate soup while it is still hot. Direct temperature changes will cause oxidation and acidification of the soup and can make it taste sour.
- Use Russet Potatoes for Creaminess. Russet potatoes have a high starch content, making them ideal for thickening the soup. If you want a silkier texture, Yukon Gold potatoes are another great option.
- Use Pre-Shredded Cabbage for Convenience. Save time by using a pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead of chopping cabbage. It adds the same flavor with less prep work.
- If the soup is too thick. Thin it out with a little extra broth or milk until the desired consistency is reached.
- If the soup is too thin. Add some potato flakes/instant mashed potatoes or add a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water.
🥗 What to serve with Loaded Perogy Soup
I love soup with salad or bread! This Strawberry Spinach Pecan Salad (shown) goes well with this soup, as does this Kale Salad with Cranberries and feta.
Or try it with my low-carb Everything Bagel Cloud. If you're looking for something a little more indulgent, try this Bread Machine Onion & Olive Bread. It also pairs really well with my Bread Machine Italian Breadsticks (shown below).
My kids are both Ukrainian dancers, and every year on the first weekend in June we get to enjoy watching them dance at the Calgary Ukrainian Festival.
We have actually been going every single year since the very first Ukrainian festival over a decade ago, even years before our kids danced. We didn't get to go this year due to world events.
So, I wanted to celebrate and honor it with a Ukrainian meal; this delicious Ukrainian soup was the answer!
And if you are looking for more awesome Ukrainian soups try my Shortcut Ukrainian Beet Borscht.
👪 Serving Size
This easy pierogi soup recipe makes 6 servings but I always triple it, as my family is crazy for it! You can double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🌡️Storage
Store this pierogie soup for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
This soup freezes well for up to 3 months.
You can make this soup a few days in advance.
🔢WW Points
This creamy soup is 10 WW points with low-fat cheese, light sour cream, and real bacon. You can reduce the WW points by using fat-free sour cream and turkey bacon.
❔Recipe FAQ's
You can add some instant mashed potatoes/potato flakes or add a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water.
Yes! Simply omit the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You can add smoked paprika for a hint of smoky flavor.
Absolutely! A pre-shredded coleslaw mix is a quick and easy substitute for fresh cabbage. Just add it in as you would the chopped cabbage.
Yes! To make it in a slow cooker: Sauté the onions and garlic in butter first.
Add all ingredients except cheese and sour cream to the slow cooker.
Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Blend part of the soup, then stir in the cheese and sour cream before serving.
As a Ukrainian, pierogies are in my blood! But let's face it, making them from scratch can be a labor of love. This soup delivers that familiar comfort in a fraction of the time, using simple ingredients to recreate that authentic pierogi taste.
So if you're looking for a pierogi soup that tastes like pierogies, but doesn't include all the work, then you'll love this soup!
Ready for more comforting soup recipes, click here to try my Chicken Gumbo Soup !
🥟More Pierogi Recipes
Comments & Reviews
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📋 Loaded Pierogi Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup cabbage, chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ cup bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces (not as small as bacon bits- see photo in instructions) * I use pre-cooked bacon because it is faster and sooo much less messy!
- ½ cup 1% milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ¼ cups sharp/old cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 cloves garlic (optional)
Garnish
- additional chopped bacon
- fresh dill
- additional grated cheddar cheese, if desired
- sour cream, if desired
Instructions
- In large saucepan, melt butter and saute onion. Add garlic (if using)2 tablespoon butter, 1 medium onion, diced, 2 cloves garlic
- Add potatoes, cabbage, celery seed and chicken stock.3 large potatoes, peeled and diced, 1 cup cabbage, chopped, 4 cups chicken stock, ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in microwave (if using pre-cooked) or on stove top. Remove as much grease as possible by patting with a paper towel and chop. Set aside.½ cup bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces (not as small as bacon bits- see photo in instructions)
- Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and add to food processor.
- Combine removed vegetables with flour, milk and sour cream in food processor or blender. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. * It's best to puree in 2 batches.½ cup 1% milk, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup sour cream
- Return puree to soup. Then add cheese and bacon and reheat. Add salt and pepper to your liking.*At this point, you can chop up about 1 tablespoon of the fresh dill and stir it in - that's what I like to do.½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 2 ¼ cups sharp/old cheddar cheese, grated, fresh dill
Garnish
- Garnish with bacon bits, dill and if desired, bits of grated cheese and/or sour cream (optional)additional chopped bacon, fresh dill, additional grated cheddar cheese, if desired, sour cream, if desired
Notes
- This recipe works because it focuses on the key flavor components of loaded pierogies: the creamy potatoes, savory bacon, sharp cheddar, and tangy sour cream. By combining these elements in a soup, it achieves a similar taste experience without the fuss of making individual dumplings.
- This recipe brings the distinct flavor of pierogies, while offering more variety by mixing up the way you eat them. The delicious soup uses bacon, cabbage, potatoes and sour cream to capture the very essence of pierogies!
-
- Don't refrigerate soup while it is still hot. Direct temperature changes will cause oxidation and acidification of the soup and can make it taste sour.
-
- Use Russet Potatoes for Creaminess. Russet potatoes have a high starch content, making them ideal for thickening the soup. If you want a silkier texture, Yukon Gold potatoes are another great option.
-
- Use Pre-Shredded Cabbage for Convenience. Save time by using a pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead of chopping cabbage. It adds the same flavor with less prep work
- If soup is too thick. Thin it out with a little extra broth or milk until desired consistency is reached.
-
Marie C Radtke
Wow! What an amazing soup! Flavorable, creamy, satisfying and so perfect! This is the day after and I can STILL smell the aroma 🤩. But I would call this loaded potato soup, not perogi. Even though I've never made it, perogis in my Polish family were never made with potatoes. The recipe is so complicated. I have very fond memories of my Grandma painstakingly preparing perogis for hours and impatiently waiting for my serving, covered in melted butter. I still long for those days... Thanks for the recipe! I shall make this over and over.
Terri Gilson
Hi Marie,
So happy to hear you loved it! Sure, you can call it whatever you like, but we're Ukrainian and we always make perogies with either potatoes or sauerkraut. 🙂 I know what you mean, I long for my Baba's perogies too 🙂
Terri
Kim
I can’t wait to try this! I randomly stumbled upon your blog looking for a bread maker paska for Easter tomorrow (I’m Orthodox). And now I find out you’re from Calgary too! I am also a Ukrainian dancer living in Calgary. What a small world. Thanks for both recipes!
Terri Gilson
Hi Kim!
That's great - you are very welcome -enjoy the recipes!
Yes, it's such a small world 🙂 and that fact is so comforting, especially right now.
Take care,
Terri
Monique Castonguay
We tried this recipe yesterday and love it! It was quick, easy and delicious.
Thanks Terri.
Terri Gilson
So glad you loved it, Monique!
Heather Lyon
Can you freeze this soup?
Terri Gilson
Hi Heather,
Yes- I froze it and it was perfect! I defrosted it overnight in the fridge and heated it in the microwave. It was as if it was never even frozen. Enjoy 🙂
Terri
Sydney Rennie
It was very good and easy to make. i added some paprika and some red pepper flakes. i used dill seasoning instead of celery seed. I also added two cloves of garlic. I will be making it again. I wil preobably try with non fat sour cream
Terri Gilson
Hi Sydney- glad you liked it! Your changes sound delicious too!!
Kristen
My hubby is LOVING this soup - he is a huge periogi fan, so this was a no brainer for us. It is delicious!
Terri Gilson
Happy to hear that Kristen and glad he enjoyed it!
Isabelle @ Crumb
What a delicious way to get my pierogi fix when I'm not in the mood to make dumplings from scratch.
I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy your Ukrainian festival this year. Hopefully they'll be back and better than ever next year.
Terri Gilson
Thanks Isabelle. Yeah, it was sad to miss it, but hopefully next year. Yes, this is definitely an easy and quick perogy fix when you need perogies but don't have the energy or time to make them!
Sabrina
This is so yummy! I love pierogis but not the fuss of making them. This soup is so perfect for my pierogi fix and so easy. Delicious !
Meenakshi
Wow this is really great blog.
Food seems very tasty and delicious.
I will to try to make this item today.
The recipe of the food seems very easy and simple
Keep posting !!!!
Terri Gilson
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Chris Greenlow
Was making another recipe for potato soup and thought to pivot to pierogi soup- wish I'd thought of this earlier. Your recipe looks amazing and easy. I did the soup with a bacon hock in it instead, but will definitely be bookmarking and making yours in the future. As a fellow pierogi lover, I will make it often as it looks so yummy
Terri Gilson
Hi Chris- Thanks - I hope you enjoy it! It's our family's fave soup 🙂
Terri