These Shortcut Lazy Pierogies are the ULTIMATE lazy pierogies! You can't get any easier than this. Made quicker with instant mashed potatoes, farmer's cheese (dry cottage cheese), and oven-ready lasagna noodles, then loaded with cheese, bacon, and diced onions, this Easy Lazy Pierogi recipe is like eating loaded perogies in the form of a casserole!
This Lazy Perogies Casserole is especially popular during the winter months and was inspired by my Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies on this site, and pairs well with Air Fryer Kielbasa and Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole. It makes a great side dish or main dish and it's the ultimate cozy comfort food!
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My Auntie Tania made me Lazy Perogies many years ago, but when I asked her for the original recipe, she couldn't find it. So, I decided to make up my own quicker version by memory.
🥘Ingredients
You'll need the following simple and inexpensive ingredients:
- 12 slices pre-cooked bacon *I buy this at Costco
- 9 oven ready lasagna noodles
- 3 cups instant mashed potatoes (2- 113 g pkgs) * I use Idahoan Buttery Homestyle
- 2 cups dry cottage cheese
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, diced
Optional Garnish (not shown)
- fresh dill
- sour cream
- black pepper (optional)
🔪Instructions
PREP: Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat the oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C. (or do this after the noodles are done soaking so you can use the same pan)
Soak lasagna noodles in hot water for 20 minutes.
*Be sure to stir them up regularly so they don't stick together. If they stick together, you won't get them apart! You can also split them into two dishes
Meanwhile : Make both packages of mashed potatoes as per package directions (in one bowl). If you use Idahoan Buttery Homestyle, you only have to add boiling water.
Mix 1 ½ cups of the cheddar cheese (reserve ½ cup for the topping), dry cottage cheese and salt into warm mashed potatoes together in a large bowl.
Remove lasagna noodles and place onto paper towel and pat dry
In a microwave-safe bowl cook onions in butter in microwave for 3 minutes.
Microwave bacon and pat with paper towel to remove grease. I do about 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Then chop into small pieces.
Add bacon to butter and onion mixture
In the bottom of a prepared 9×13 pan, place 3 lasagna noodles to cover the bottom.
Add ⅓ of the potato and cheese mixture on top of the noodles, making sure they are completely covered.
Then pour ⅓ of the melted butter, bacon and onion mixture over the potatoes
Repeat this 2 more times (another 2 layers of noodles, potato mixture, then butter/bacon/onion mixture)
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top.
Seal with aluminum foil.
Bake for 55 minutes. Then turn up to 500 degrees F/260 degrees C (broil) and cook for another 1-2 minutes until cheese on top is bubbly and browning. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Hint: It's important that the dish is well- sealed with foil so that the liquid in the dish soften the noodles (or they will be hard and dry)
💭Top tip
Oven-ready lasagna noodles are convenient but can be challenging. Make sure the noodles are completely covered in the potato mixture, because any exposed edges will turn hard and crunchy. Most no-boil noodles will expand during cooking, so it's a good idea to slightly overlap them so they're not touching the sides of the dish.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Potatoes- you can use any type of instant mashed potatoes (Idahoan and Honest Earth are my favorites) or leftover mashed potatoes
- Bacon- you could use regular bacon and cook it up in a frying pan, or use bacon bits
- Cottage Cheese - you can use regular cottage cheese instead of Farmer's Cheese (dry curd)
- Lasagna Noodles-you can use fresh lasagna noodles instead (and you don't have to worry about soaking them) You could use regular lasagna noodles but you'll need to boil them. You could also use whole wheat lasagna noodles.
- Dill - you could use dried dill if you don't have fresh but you'll need to use ½ the amount.
🥗 Pairing
In addition to kielbasa, these are my favorite dishes to serve with Lazy Man Perogies:
🍽Equipment
You'll need a 9X13 pan for this recipe. I like to use a glass pan with a lid so that I can store leftovers in the same pan. You'll also need a cutting board and a sharp knife, as well as a microwave. *See recipe card for recommended equipment photos and links
🌡️Storage
Store this leftover Lazy Perogy Casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. These Lazy perogies also freeze well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
I'm not even going to tell you what the points are for this recipe because it is indulgent! BUT it can be made WW friendlier by using light butter, fat-free cheese, fat-free dry cottage cheese, whole wheat lasagna noodles (Catelli Healthy Harvest) and turkey bacon. Using homemade mashed potatoes (leftover is ideal) instead of instant will cut those points in half as well. Making these changes will bring the points down to 7 ww points per serving (⅛ of the whole recipe)!
🦺Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov
What to do with leftover Dry Cottage Cheese (Farmer's Cheese)
Dry curd cottage cheese or farmer's cheese can be frozen for up to 3 months. It can also be used in many recipes such as these:
⭐ COMMENTS & REVIEWS
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It's ideal for feeding a crowd, for taking along to a potluck and so much quicker and easier than making traditional pierogi!
📋 Shortcut Lazy Pierogies Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 slices pre-cooked bacon *I buy this from Costco
- 9 oven ready lasagna noodles
- 3 cups instant mashed potatoes (2- 113 g pkgs) * I use Idahoan Buttery Homestyle
- 2 cups dry cottage cheese
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- 2 large onions, diced
Garnish
- fresh dill
- sour cream
Instructions
- Prep: Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat the oven to 350 degrees F/176 C.
- Soak lasagna noodles in hot water for 20 minutes.*Be sure to stir them up regularly so they don't stick together. If they stick together, you won't get them apart! You can also split them into two dishes
- Meanwhile : Make both packages of mashed potatoes as per package directions (in one bowl). If you use Idahoan Buttery Homestyle, you only have to add boiling water.
- Mix 1 ½ cups of the cheddar cheese (reserve ½ cup for the topping), dry cottage cheese and salt into warm mashed potatoes together in a large bowl.
- In a microwave-safe bowl cook onions in butter in microwave for 3 minutes.
- Remove lasagna noodles and place onto paper towel and pat dry.
- Microwave bacon and pat with paper towel to remove grease. I do about 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Then chop into small pieces.Add bacon to butter and onion mixture.
- In the bottom of a prepared 9×13 pan, place 3 lasagna noodles to cover the bottom.
- Add ⅓ of the potato and cheese mixture.
- Then add ⅓ of the butter/bacon/onion mixture
- Repeat this 2 more times.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Seal with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Turn up to 500 degrees F/260 degrees C (broil) and cook for another 1-2 minutes until cheese on top is bubbly and browning.
Garnish
- Garnish the whole dish with fresh dill and add a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of dill to each serving.
Jean
Hi Terri - oh I know we're going to be good friends. I like your short cut approach to involved recipes for an otherwise delicious cuisine. That said I love pierogis, but not cheap to buy and feeling a little sheepish about making them - I came to your site for the shortcut borscht recipe, which I will make tonite and spotted this! What's not to love about a giant pierogi in the form of a potato cheese bacon lasagna? Oh yum!
Terri Gilson
Hi Jean! Ah... a kindred spirit 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipes!
I'd so appreciate it if you could leave a 5 star review if you love them.
Take care,
Terri
Jean
Hi Terri
I made this in a 6-7 qt. crockpot, as I currently have no oven (getting a new kitchen!) so- I have to be resourceful to get dinner on the table. And this Lazy Pierogi casserole filled the bill just great - all of my favorite food groups put together! Cheese, butter, potatoes, noodles, bacon and onion - IT was so good, and we had seconds and thirds - I had mine topped with sour cream yum, yum- was very filling too for our bone chilling. winter nights here in the PNW! thanks again - You''ve got a winner!
Terri Gilson
Hi Jean,
I'm so glad to hear it worked out in a crockpot and that you loved it so much! It was very popular around here too 🙂
I'm going to try doing it like that next time.:)
Take care,
Terri