Traditional Polish Meat Pierogi Recipe [Pierogi z Mięsem]

Ahh… pierogi. Who doesn’t love them? Although vegetarian dumplings are the most popular in Poland, the traditional Polish meat pierogi recipe is just as good to try!

Keep on reading to discover my Polish meat pierogi recipe, tips for cooking, and how to choose the perfect meat to make a filling.

What Meat Goes With Pierogies?

Children and adults love meat pierogi, and there rarely are any left to store for later. You can have them cooked but also pan-fried, oven-baked (see my baked pierogi recipe), or ever grilled. 

Although you may use any kind of meat to make a filling for pierogi z mięsem, the best one is beef.

The most popular meat pierogi filling is made of ground beef and veggies from rosol wołowy (beef broth).

However, depending, on their preferences, Polish housewives use different kinds of meat, including:

Pork Meat Pierogi Filling

That’s definitely the cheapest option that you may get in the milk bar. The most common meat used in Poland is pork, however, I don’t think it’s the best option to make at home. Why?

Pork is one of the fattest meats, so when you add it to the dough and butter, the entire dish will be quite heavy. 

If you want to try a filling made of pork meat, you could blend in some vegetables, ideally from the brought, that you boiled your meat with. This way you will have a less heavy and healthier filling. 

Chicken Meat Pierogi Filling

Chicken is definitely a better choice than pork. When you use chicken from traditional Polish rosol, meat pierogi will be quite light, especially if you mix the chicken with veggies.

The taste will not be as expressive as when you use beef but I’d say chicken is an excellent option.

The chicken filling is also very good to serve to children, as a lighter version of the meal.  

A combination of chicken, mushroom, and grated chees is also worth a try. 

Turkey Meat Pierogi Filling

It’s pretty similar to chicken, however, turkey meat has slightly fewer calories. This means the filling may be a bit dryer when you are using the turkey.

Don’t worry about that though- you can always add some broth or butter to make the filling more sticky and easier to form. 

Duck Meat Pierogi Filling

If you go to a high-end traditional Polish restaurant, you will have a great chance to try duck meat pierogi.

Duck meat is expensive and quality meat, that’s why use it for your pierogi if you only have a chance!

The filling will be sticky and fatty and it will have a specific “ducky” aroma and taste which fits perfectly with the dumplings.

Goose Meat Pierogi Filling

Pierogi with goose meat are delicious however, they are definitely not popular.

Although you may mix goose meat with veggies just like you would do when using other kinds of meat, you may also make this pierogi sweet.

Add some cranberries or apples to get an unusual taste!

Lamb Meat Pierogi Filling

Pierogi with lamb meat filling are typical in the Zakopane region. They have a specific taste that is not loved by everyone. Some say that lamb stinks.

I love lamb meat, that’s why I think lamb pierogi are really good, especially when served with skwarki (greaves).

See my full post about the best side dishes for pierogi.

Do I Need To Use Any Special Ingredients To Make Meat Pierogi?

All the ingredients you need to prepare the dish are easily accessible from any food store, so you don’t need to supply them in any dedicated place.  Choose the meat from your trusted source and the veggies from the local market.  Should you opt for vegan dough, see this post about vegan pierogi.

What Is The Difference Between Meat Pierogi And Pelmeni Or Khinkali?

Polish traditional meat pierogi is a very old dish that dates back XIII century. 

Pielmieni, although very similar to pierogi, is traditionally served in Russia, Ukraine, and some other East European countries. Khinkali is a traditional Georgian dish.

The biggest difference is that the filling in meat pierogi is made of cooked meat, whereas in the other two dishes, raw meat goes into the filling. 

How Do I Store Meat Pierogi For Later? 

In case you have made a few extra batches of your dumplings, you can easily store them for later use. There are two ways of storing pierogi:

• place uncooked pierogi on the tray lined with paper, making sure they do not touch each other and place them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. After that, place the meat pierogi in an airtight container and store it away in the freezer. 
• you can do the exact same procedure with cooked meat pierogi, the only difference is, they might need a bit longer to freeze well before you take them off the tray. Frosezn meat pierogi can be stored for about 3 months. 

How Do I Reheat The Meat Pierogi?

When reheating pierogi that have not been cooked, you need to cook them for 3-5 minutes in boiling water. This is how long though needs to go from raw and frozen to cook. After that, you can fry pan them as well so they are nice and crispy from the outside and well warm on the inside. 

If you cooked pierogi before freezing, then you can place them directly into the frying pan, and cook under the cover for about 3-4 minutes on each side. The result will be the same as above. 

Meat Pierogi Filling Recipe Tips

Make The Filling Sticky and Smooth

You will get the perfect texture by doing the following things:

• finely grinding the meat
• adding broth, oil, or butter to make the filling sticky
• finely chopping the onion
• adding a raw egg (optionally)

How to check whether the texture is good? Try to form a small ball from the filling. If it’s falling apart, then you need to add some more fat. 

Season The Filling At The End

Some kinds of meat become hard when you season it before frying, but don’t worry, there is an easy solution to it. 

To avoid disappointment, always add salt at the end of making the meat pierogi filling. his way you will also be sure, that you added the very right amount of salt and pepper, as the ready-cooked filling is simply easier to try and taste. 

Traditional Polish Meat Pierogi Recipe [Pierogi z Mięsem]

Yield: 8 servings

Polish Meat Pierogi Recipe

Print

Authentic Polish meat pierogi recipe.

Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Dough for meat pierogi

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

Meat pierogi filling

• 1 lb of meat from the broth or ground meat (beef or poultry)
• 1 big onion
• butter / oil / broth
• salt, pepper

Others

• Butter

Instructions

How To Make Meat Pierogi Dough?

1. Put flour, egg, oil, and salt into the bowl. Whisk it together with hand or dough hook attachment.
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 Meat Pierogi Filling?

1. If you use meat from the broth [recommended], grind it. If you use ground meat, fry it with a bit of oil. If it's not soft after frying, grind it again.
2. Peel, finely chop and fry the onion with a bit of oil or butter.
3. Mix meat with onion, add salt and pepper.
4. Add melted butter, oil, or broth until you will get the sticky mixture that will be easy to stuff pierogi with.

How To Mold Meat Pierogi?

1. Divide the dough into the 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 filling (1/2-3 teaspoons) in the center of each circle. The more filling the better, however, you need to be sure it stays inside pierogi. When the filling will get between the dough when sealing, pierogi may fall apart during the cooking.
5. Pull the edges of each circle together to form pierogi. Make sure the seal is continuous and intact. You can't leave any free space, as pierogi will fall apart during the cooking. Pinch tightly.
6. Collect the remaining dough scraps and put them to the other 2 dough pieces. Repeat the process until the entire filling and dough are used.

How To Cook Meat Pierogi?

1. Pour the water into the big pot. Add 2 pinches of salt. Boil.
2. Gently throw pierogi, one by one into the boiling water.
3. When they start floating, wait for a minute and take them out with the slotted spoon.
4. Pour the melted butter on top.

Recommended Products

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  Pierogi Maker Molds
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  Wooden Pastry Board - Stolnica drewniana
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  Wood Rolling Pin - Wałek
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  Stainless Pot - Garnek średni
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   Yellow Conventional - Cebula
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  Ground Pork - Mięso mielone
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  Ground Beef - Mielone mięso wołowe
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  Rapeseed Oil - Olej Rzepakowy
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  Iodized Table Salt - Sól
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  Eggs Organic Cage-Free
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  All Purpose Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 492Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 27g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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