Christmas Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pierogi Recipe

Sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi is a traditional Polish dish eaten for Wieczerza Wigilijna or Christmas Eve dinner. The meaty mushroom and tangy sauerkraut are perfectly complimented by the light fluffy dough and melted butter on top!

No Meat For Christmas Eve! 

Christmas or Wigilia is a feast of twelve courses that range from appetizers to dessert! But because many Poles are Roman Catholic, none of these Polish Christmas dishes can contain meat. Tradition only allows for fish and vegetarian dishes to be served at Christmas Eve dinner. 

But even the vegetarian dishes cooked for Wieczerza Wigilijna are amazingly delicious, especially the pierogi z kapustą i grzybami or sauerkraut mushroom pierogi! With the meaty mushrooms in the light and fluffy pierogi dough, you won’t miss meat at all!

When Saint Hycinth brought the pierogi recipe from Kyiv back to Poland, he didn’t realize the impact he would have on future generations of Poles. These simple pierogi are eaten in Polish homes as often as bigos or zurek or barszcz czerwony!

How To Make Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pierogi Recipe

Step I – Soak The Mushrooms 

Wash the dried mushrooms and allow them to soak overnight in a pot of cold water. The next day, drain the water and cook the mushrooms until soft. If you can’t soak overnight, soak for at least three to four hours. 

Step II – Make Sauerkraut Filling

You can use homemade or storebought sauerkraut for this recipe. If you want to make sauerkraut, use this recipe.

Start by draining the juice from the sauerkraut by squeezing it carefully. Then chop it finely and boil in water for an hour till it’s soft. Then drain it again till there’s no water left.

While the sauerkraut is boiling, chop the onions and mushrooms fine. Fry them with oil or butter on low heat till soft.

Mix the onions, mushrooms, and sauerkraut together, and season with salt and pepper.

Step III – Make The Pierogi Dough

Mix the ingredients for the dough with your hand or a dough blender. Then add water slowly, letting it incorporate before adding more. When there are no lumps. the dough is ready. 

Step IV – Form The Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pierogi

Divide the dough into smaller portions and roll out each portion to under 1/16 – 1/8” thickness. Then cut circles using a round cookie cutter. 

Place the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi filling in each circle and seal well. You can use a pierogi maker for this. 

Don’t add too much filling or it won’t seal well. Ensure there are no holes or the pierogi will fall apart. Also, ensure no filling is stuck between the sealed section. 

Collect all the remaining dough scraps and re-roll them to make more pierogi till you finish the rest of the dough. 

Step V –  Cook The Pierogi With Sauerkraut

In a large pot of boiling water, add the pierogi one at a time. When the pierogi float, they’re cooked. After a minute of floating, remove them with a sieve or a slotted spoon.

Put the cooked pierogi on a plate or large bowl and pour melted butter or lard on top so they don’t stick to each other.

Tips For Making Christmas Pierogi – Pierogi Z Kapustą I Grzybami

• You can add more mushrooms or skip the mushrooms if you wish.
• If using fresh mushrooms, do not soak them overnight. 
• If you don’t have pierogi at home, you can use storebought sauerkraut.
• If you don’t have a cookie cutter to cut the pierogi circles, use a very large glass.
• You can use a pierogi maker or seal the pierogi with your hands.
• Sauerkraut mushroom pierogi can be made throughout the year!
• Make sure the water is boiling hot before you cook the pierogi, or they will fall apart. 

FAQS About Sauerkraut Mushroom Pierogi

Is There A Difference Between Christmas Pierogi And Traditional Polish Pierogi? 

Made with sauerkraut and mushrooms, the Christmas pierogi are similar to the traditional Polish pierogi, and there is no real difference between them. 

What Else Can I Add To The Sauerkraut Mushroom Pierogi?

You can add more spices or fried onions to the pierogi. If you make the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi recipe at other times of the year, you can also add diced fried bacon or diced fried kielbasa sausages. 

Do I Have To Use Mushrooms In This Recipe?

No, you can skip the mushrooms if you don’t like them. Just add more sauerkraut or onions or boiled carrots. 

How To Store Pierogi?

When the pierogi are cooked place them on a tray at some distance from each other. Once cooled,, cover them with melted butter and place in a bowl together. 

Using the same method, leftover pierogi can be stored for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator, or for 3 to 4 months in the freezer. 

How To Reheat Pierogi?

Reheat pierogi in a microwave or in a frying pan with oil, butter, or lard. The frying pan version is delicious and the method can also be used to make fresh pierogi crunchy. 

Christmas Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pierogi Recipe

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Sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi is a traditional Polish dish eaten for Wieczerza Wigilijna or Christmas Eve dinner. The meaty mushroom and tangy sauerkraut are perfectly complimented by the light fluffy dough and melted butter on top!

Ingredients

Sauerkraut Pierogi Dough

• 5 cups (600g) of all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cups of warm water
• 2 pinches of salt
• 4-5 tablespoons of oil

Sauerkraut And Mushroom Filling

• 36 oz (1kg) sauerkraut
• 4 oz (110g) of dried mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 6 bay leaves
• 6 allspice berries
• oil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

How To Make Pierogi Dough

1. Put flour, egg, oil, and salt into a bowl and mix with your hand or dough blender.
2. Start adding the water slowly, letting it incorporate before adding more.
3. Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated and there are no lumps.
   
   

How To Make Sauerkraut Filling

1. Wash the mushrooms and add them to a pot of cold water. Leave to soak overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the mushrooms and cook them until soft.
3. Drain the sauerkraut by squeezing it carefully. Then chop it finely.
4. Boil the sauerkraut in water for an hour till it's soft. Then drain it again till no water is left.
5. In the meantime, finely chop the onions and mushrooms. Fry them with a bit of butter (or oil) on low heat, until they are soft.
6. Mix all the ingredients for the filling together, and season with salt and pepper.

How To Mold Sauerkraut And Mushroom Pierogi

1. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.
2. Thinly roll each piece out onto a floured surface to just under 1/16 - 1/8” thickness.
3. Use a round cookie cutter to cut the circles from the dough.
4. Put the mushroom and sauerkraut filling in the center of each circle and seal them properly.
5. Collect all the remaining dough scraps, re-roll them and make more pierogi. Repeat this process till all the dough is used.

How To Cook Pierogi With Sauerkraut

1. Boil salt and water in a large pot.
2. Add the pierogi to the boiling water one at a time.
3. When they float, leave them for a minute and then remove them with a slotted spoon.
4. Pour melted butter or lard on top before serving.
   

Notes

• You can skip the mushrooms if you prefer.
• If using fresh mushrooms, do not soak overnight.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Pierogi Maker Molds
• 
  Ground Black Pepper - Pieprz czarny
• 
  Allspice Whole - Ziele Angielskie
• 
  Bay Leaf - Liść Laurowy
• 
  Organic Garlic - Czosnek
• 
  Red Onion - Czerwona cebula
• 
  Sauerkraut - Kapusta kiszona
• 
  Sunflower Oil - Olej słonecznikowy
• 
  Eggs Organic Cage-Free
• 
  Iodized Table Salt - Sól
• 
  Polish Dried Mushrooms - Grzyby Suszone
• 
  All Purpose Flour

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