Vegan Cheesy Caramelized Onion and Potato Pierogi

These Cheesy Caramelized Onion and Potato Pierogies are the ultimate winter comfort food! Cheesy filling with caramelized onions and potatoes are stuffed in tender, crispy pockets of dough. Served with a side of fresh coleslaw and topped with creamy roasted garlic aioli. Easily made and requires only 6 plant based ingredients!

Truthfully, I’ve never had a pierogie until I went vegan. But man, the pierogies I’ve had were so. dang good- I became hooked. They’re like the dumplings I grew up eating but instead of being stuffed with veg and tofu, they’re stuffed with hearty potatoes, cheese and other robust savoury flavours! I’ve had a variety of amazing combos but I always go back to the very first pierogie I had which was a simple potato and cheese vegan pierogie with sour cream.

I wanted to change it up a bit, and I love the combo of caramelized onions and meaty mushrooms with potatoes so I decided to add that in. I also added in some roasted garlic to elevate the flavours and give it a punch of garlicky-ness.

I used the Tomato Cayenne flavour of chao cheese and holy moly, it’s good. It gives it a bit of a kick which I love! Plus, it adds the cheesy goodness. If you’re missing the hard core cheesy flavour of pierogies, you can also add in some nutritional yeast!

I often was served sauerkraut with my pierogies but I opted to make a fresh zingy yogurt coleslaw as a side. Not that these pierogies are super heavy or anything, but having a couple bites of the coleslaw in between eating the pierogies just makes each bite of the pierogies so much more enjoyable. And the roasted garlic aioli as a dipping sauce…. a solid choice! I know pierogies seem difficult to make (trust me, I did too) but once you make it, you’ll realize how easy it actually is!

What makes these Vegan Cheesy Caramelized Onion and Potato Pierogies so amazing? They’re:

• comforting

• cheesy

• meaty

• flavour packed

• require only 6 ingredients

• can be made ahead of time

• and so incredibly delicious!

Tips and Tricks to making Vegan Cheesy Caramelized Onion and Potato Pierogies

• When choosing your potatoes, I recommend using either russet of red for the best texture. Avoid using yellow potatoes as they become very light.

• Mash your potatoes by hand and not in a blender to avoid a “pastey” filling.

• If you have a bread baker, you can drop your dough in their to let it do the kneading! Allow it to rest for the same amount of time.

• To freeze: Freeze on the baking tray. Once they are fully frozen you can place them into plastic bags. To cook after frozen, do not let them thaw and drop them into boiling water straight from the freezer.

• When boiling the pierogies, allow the water to come to a boil but reduce it so the boiling water is not rumbling to avoid the pierogies from breaking.

• Be sure there are not ripped/open holes in the pierogies or they will fall apart when boiling them in water.

If you recreate these Vegan Cheesy Caramelized Onion and Potato Pierogies please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @lisakitahara, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup flour (187g)

• 1/4 cup cold water

• 1/4 cup boiling water

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 onions (220g)

• 1 container of mushrooms (300g)

• 2 medium potatoes (420g)

• 1/4 head of roasted garlic

• 4 slices of vegan cheese

• salt & pepper to taste

Coleslaw

• 1/2 a head of cabbage (300g)

• 1 cup of carrots, grated

• 1/2 cup dairy free yogurt

• 1 tbsp of lemon juice

• 1/2 tbsp ACV

• 1.5 tsp dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

1. First, to make the dough sift the flour into a large bowl along with 1/2 a tsp of salt. Pour in the water and mix using your hands. Knead the dough until it comes together and you are able to form a smooth dough. Form it into a ball and place into the centre of the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, to prepare the filling start by washing the potatoes and place them into a pot of boiling water. Allow them to cook until you are easily able to pierce with a fork.

3. In another pan, sauté the onions until caramelized (around 8 minutes). Transfer to another bowl.

4. In the same pan, sauté the mushrooms with some salt and pepper until fully cooked.

5. Once the potatoes are done cooking, use a potato masher and mash until almost smooth (you can leave a few clumps). Then, combine the mushrooms, onions and shredded cheese together. Set aside.

6. Divide your dough into two sections. Leave one in the bowl, covered. Flour your working surface and roll out one piece of dough thinly. Then cut the dough out using a 2×2 inch cookie cutter or cup.

7. Place around 1.5 tbsp of the filling in the middle of each round, run your fingers around the edges with some water and then fold in half, pinching the ends together. Optional: you can use a fork to make intends along the edges.

8. Gather the remaining scraps, re-roll and fill until you use up all the dough. As you go, place the made pierogies on a baking tray that is floured and cover with a damp towel.

9. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place around 6-8 pierogies in the pot and allow them to cook until they rise to the surface (around 2-3 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, scoop them out. They can be eaten as is, or you can finish them up in a frying pan with a little bit of dairy-free butter for some colour and a crispy texture.

10. Serve with side slaw and some garlic aioli or sour cream and enjoy!

Notes

• SERVINGS: Around 25 Pierogies

• PREP TIME: 1 hour minutes

• COOK TIME: 30 minutes

• INGREDIENTS: 6 ingredients

• DIFFICULTY: EASY

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