Lazy Pierogi

Printed from: www.grandmotherskitchen.net

Ingredients

Makes: Two 9x13 pans - 16 servings - 8 from each pan

16 medium sized potatoes - round red, round white and new potatoes are good choices for this recipe

12 lasagna noodles

1/2 cup butter

2 medium size onions

500g ricotta cheese - 2 cups

500g cottage cheese - 2 cups

2 teaspoons salt, divided

2 cups grated cheese of your choice, we used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses

1 egg

1/4 cup reserved pasta water

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons freshly chopped parsley - Optional

Directions

1. This recipe makes two 9x13 pans. If you are making one pan, it is just as easy to make two. This is such a popular dish you hope for some leftovers. Each pan will make 8 nice servings. For those of you that love pierogi and you are looking for a shortcut this is a fun dish to try. We made it over two days, so it would take less time when we assembled the dish and for cooling time for the potatoes and lasagna noodles in the refrigerator.

2. Boil the potatoes. We suggest you choose a type of potato that you can boil, that will not fall apart. Red and round white potatoes make a great choice. Potatoes slice easiest once they are cold from the refrigerator.

3. Cook the lasagna noodles. Drain but reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water for later. To get a soft pasta dough texture like that of a pierogi dough, cook the lasagna noodles, then strain. Let sit, without rinsing until they are room temperature. Put the noodles into a dish and cover with cold water. Cover and refrigerate.

4. When you are ready to assemble the lazy pierogi, have ready two 9x13 baking dishes.

5. Peel the skins off the cold potatoes. If you have a mandoline slicer that slices potatoes, use that. If not, you can slices the potatoes into rounds with a sharp knife. You may have to half the potatoes first to slice them. Its okay if the potato rounds are not all perfect. Save the nicest ones for the top layer for aesthetic value.

6. Dice the onions into small pieces. If you have a mandoline, dice them on a small setting.

7. Heat the butter in a large skillet on the stove top and add the onions. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions are a beautiful soft texture and golden brown color. Remember to stir occasionally and keep from over browning. Shut off when ready.

8. Divide the cooked onions into the bottoms of the two 9x13 baking dishes. Be sure to get all the butter from the frying pan. Spread out evenly with a rubber spatula.

9. Stir together the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Add the salt and stir to mix it together evenly. Set aside.

10. Do a layer of potato on top of the onions. Use any of the broken potatoes pieces on the bottom row. Sprinkle very lightly with salt. Do a layer of lasagna noodles. We used kitchen scissors to cut the noodles so they would not be too long and put the cut pieces into the layers. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the noodle layer and spread it out evenly. Place the second layer of lasagna noodles next. Place the final layer of potato rounds on top. Place them in rows as this will be your top layer and the part that shows once cooked.

11. Break the egg into a bowl and stir to combine with the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup sour cream.Use a pastry brush to paint on top of the potato layer. Be sure to divide between the two pans.Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top. Cover with parchment paper and bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees F. . You can eat right away or let cool, put a cover, refrigerate and reheat the next day at 425 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Like regular pierogi, served with sour cream will make it extra yummy.

ENJOY!

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