Yes to Yolks

a food journal

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy Policies

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

November 21, 2016 by Molly 9 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

I freaking love this week. The busy, excited, anticipatory few days before Thanksgiving make it one of the best weeks of the year, don’t you think?

I am a huge fan of anything requiring lots of organization, and so naturally, Thanksgiving dinner aligns perfectly with my type-A personality.

It’s an epic meal, no matter what your traditions may be. Our family Thanksgivings tend to be on the more traditional end of things, with maybe one or two wild card dishes thrown in. But generally, we rarely stray from the usual meal. Why mess with a good thing?

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

The sides are what totally do me in. I can’t get enough of the stuffing, butter rolls, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, or copious amounts of roasted or braised or mashed veggies. The turkey is great, too, but it’s definitely an afterthought for me. I’m alllll about those side carbs, baby.

Oh, and the dessert. Duh.

And while many people complain about them, the Thanksgiving leftovers are just as exciting to me. Not only do I adore the flavors of Thanksgiving and want to enjoy them for weeks afterward, but I also love coming up with new ways to enjoy them in the post-foodmageddon phase. Infusing them with more life, giving them a poke and a prod into something new and fun. I just love it.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

So, with that said, I give you this year’s Thanksgiving leftovers idea: pierogies!

Guys, I am a huuuuge pierogie fan. Always have been. I love cheese and potato ones best, fried in butter with onions and dipped in cool, tangy sour cream. I think they may be one of the best dough-wrapped packages out there. Carbs and cheese wrapped in carbs? I mean, c’mon, it’s an obvious choice.

And while I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in making them (this was my first time!), and while I don’t have a drop of Polish blood in me, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily these came together. I gotta admit: I was certainly intimidated by the prospect of making my own pierogie dough, let alone assembling and cooking them successfully.

But I think it’s safe to say that I WAS successful. Much to my joy and shock.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

The thing is, pierogie dough is REALLY easy to work with. Like, even easier than pizza dough. DEFINITELY easier than pastry dough or pie crust (*shudders*), which is just not my strong suit. It comes together with ingredients you likely already have on hand, requires very little work (like, 5 minutes of kneading), and is so soft and elastic and EASY to roll out.

Again, I was pleasantly surprised.

When it comes to the filling for these pierogies, you can go nuts. I went with mashed potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce, a little onion, and cheese. But you could load these up with stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, veggies, whatever your heart desires! Just make sure to add a little cheese to your filling for that creamy, gooey effect. It totally makes them.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

The filled and formed pierogies get boiled in some salted water and then crisped up in some butter. Easy peasy! I served mine with a mustard sour cream because I am a brine freak and can never get enough of that vinegary tang, especially with fried or heavier foods.

What I love most about these Thanksgiving leftovers pierogies is how unexpected they are. It’s definitely a far cry from the turkey sandwich or turkey-and-potato hash that we so often find ourselves eating on Black Friday. It’s a fun and different twist, while still tasting like Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

Basically, it’s the best of all worlds.

 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies

Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies


  • Yield: 6 appetizer servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Dough:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

  • 1½ cups leftover mashed potatoes, chilled
  • ½ cup cooked turkey meat, shredded or chopped
  • ¼ cup very finely diced or grated onion
  • 3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
  • 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Dipping Sauce:

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Butter, for the pan
  • Dried cranberries, for serving
  • Chopped parsley or chives, for serving

Instructions

For the Dough:

  1. Mix the flour, water, egg, and salt together in a bowl until dough forms.
  2. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

For the Filling:

  1. In a bowl, mix together the potatoes, turkey, onion, cranberry sauce, and cheese until combined. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

For the Dipping Sauce:

  1. Whisk together the ingredients and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside until you are ready to serve.

To Assemble:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Set up a large skillet and add a couple tablespoons of butter.
  2. Divide the dough ball in half and roll each half out to an ⅛-inch thickness. Using a knife or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch circles.
  3. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling on each circle and then fold the dough in half, pinching together the edges to seal in the filling. Continue until all the pierogies have been formed.
  4. In batches, add the pierogies to the boiling water. Cook for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, turn on the heat to medium under the skillet and melt the butter.
  5. Remove the boiled pierogies from the water with a slotted spoon, allowing the excess water to drip off, and then add them to the skillet with the butter. Cook in the butter until crispy and golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining pierogies.
  6. Garnish with the dried cranberries and herbs. Serve warm with the dipping sauce on the side.

NOTES:

  1. I find that these pierogies taste best if made just before eating. If you are not planning to eat them all in one sitting, store formed but unboiled pierogies in the fridge, covered well. They’ll last a day or two. Boil and fry in butter when you are ready for them.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @molly_yestoyolks on Instagram and hashtag it #yestoyolks

Dough recipe from here.

Related

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Chicken & Poultry, Meat, Recipes Tagged With: appetizers, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pierogies, snacks, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving leftovers, turkey

« Friday Faves
Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Coconut Curry »

Comments

  1. Madeleine says

    November 24, 2017 at 7:52 pm

    You write a bit too much when one is simply searching for a Pierogie recipe – however after a lot of scrolling, the recipe (…put up top next time) is fantastic.

    Put the story after the recipe. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Bernard Ber says

    March 14, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    Hello Molly,

    I really liked your recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies, so I posted it to my Web page on Reddit.

    The Web page contains a lengthy compilation of interesting food blogger recipes that I find.

    Here’s the link:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/AskRedditFood/comments/81ojae/what_do_you_think_of_thanksgiving_leftovers/

    Cheers,

    Bernard

    Reply
  3. Michelle Bennett says

    November 27, 2018 at 11:09 pm

    These are simple and deliciousness!! I will definitely be keeping this recipe. I enjoyed the reading and photos as well. I am so full…just finished the meal and the dipping sauce omg I was a little unsure if I was going do like it, but the perfect lityle taste tonthis wonderful meal. Thank you for a great dinner idea💜

    Reply
    • Molly says

      November 28, 2018 at 7:22 am

      Michelle! Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed these. It makes my heart full!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 21 Easy Recipes for Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey | Trending World News Today says:
    December 3, 2017 at 1:30 am

    […] Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies from Yes to Yolks […]

    Reply
  2. 50 Of the Best Recipes Using Thanksgiving Leftovers - Operation $40K says:
    November 22, 2018 at 9:32 am

    […] Yes to Yolks – Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies […]

    Reply
  3. 21 Easy Recipes for Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey | foodiecrush.com says:
    November 28, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    […] Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogies from Yes to Yolks […]

    Reply
  4. 21 einfache Rezepte für Thanksgiving-Truthahnreste - WELCOME says:
    November 28, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    […] Thanksgiving Reste Pierogies von Ja zu Eigelb […]

    Reply
  5. 21 recettes faciles pour les restes de dinde de Thanksgiving – Je me demandais says:
    November 28, 2020 at 5:22 pm

    […] Pierogies restes de Thanksgiving de Oui aux jaunes […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi there. I’m Molly. Welcome to my little space devoted to all things FOOD! More about me...

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Smoky Loaded Double Potato Chowder
  • Roasted Winter Citrus
  • Chicken Taco Stuffed Peppers
  • Cacio e Pepe Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chocolate Strawberry Blondies
  • January Favorites

Archives

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Connect

Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg! Read More…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Copyright © 2021 Yes to Yolks