Easy Baked Pierogi Casserole
This easy to make deconstructed casserole is like a giant pierogi – layers of loaded mashed potatoes with cheese, bacon and green onions slathered between lasagna noodles and topped with additional cheese! You won’t be able to stop at one serving.
A family favorite made easy
Being from a Ukrainian background (on my dads side) pierogies are something I grew up with! I would even go so far as to say that they are in my blood. This easy to make deconstructed pierogi casserole has all the flavor of my favorite little “dumplings” but without the stress and hassle. More on that in a minute!
If you have ever attempted to make your own pierogi at home then you definitely know what I am talking about when I say it can be stressful. I have been making them for over 25 years (yep since I was a kid) and perfected the technique probably within the last 10 … think about that for a second. We make HUNDREDS of homemade pierogi every year for Christmas and the holiday season and it took me over 10 years to get it “right”.
No need to worry though, this baked casserole is the best of the classic pierogi flavor with the EASE of a weeknight meal. And as a self proclaimed pierogi master (I made that up) I can easily tell you that this is the real deal and your family will beg you to make it for them every single week!
Ingredients
- Lasagna Noodles
- Cooked Mashed Potatoes
- Cream Cheese
- Bacon
- Cheddar Cheese
- Green Onions
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
Toppings and Variations
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As with all of our recipes we like to provide you guys with some easy swaps for you to customize them to your own families taste!
Cheese: if you don’t like cheddar cheese you can easily swap this out for any other kind of hard cheese. We love a good Monterrey Jack (it has a nice kick)!
Protein: don’t want to use bacon? No worries! Simply use cooked Italian sausage, or ground beef. You can also do this casserole with cooked ground turkey or chicken if that’s what you prefer. Also – you can totally used the precooked bacon crumbles, I just prefer to fry up my own.
Vegan: if you want to make this vegan friendly simply swap the regular cheese and protein for vegan options. One of my vegan friends has an awesome blog where she shows you how to make your own vegan cheese – uhhh yes!
Gluten Free: making this casserole recipe into a gluten free option is so easy! Just make sure you use Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles and you are good to go.
Veggie Obsessed: want to make it a hearty vegetable dish instead? I totally get it, we try to do meat free meals at least twice a week in the Olive home – do a quick sautee of some sliced zucchini and eggplant and toss in between the layers.
Be sure to PIN THIS EASY CASSEROLE RECIPE so you have it for later!
How to make Baked Pierogi Casserole
Making and assembling this casserole couldn’t be any easier! Prepare your ingredients ahead – this means grating the cheese, slicing the onions, cooking and crumbling the bacon and softening your cream cheese.
Then you need to prepare your mashed potatoes – add in the cream cheese, cheddar, bacon, green onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. We use our Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment for this part but you could use a wooden spoon or spatula too if you don’t mind the elbow work!
Prepare noodles according to the package – slightly under cooking them so they don’t become soggy when added to the rest of the ingredients and baked.
Now the fun part, the layers! Lay 3 cooked noodles in a greased 9″ x 13″ casserole dish and simply add about 1/3 of the potato mix on top and spread evenly. I like to sprinkle some extra cheese, bacon and onions between the layers but this isn’t mandatory.
Repeat the steps above and on your final layer (3rd) top the casserole with remaining cheese, bacon and onions before baking for 30 mins.
Tips and Tricks you NEED to know
We have ALL been there before – we find a recipe that looks amazing and when we make it … well … it just DOESN’T turn out the same! Here are a couple of key things to know before you start to make this Pierogi Casserole with Bacon yourself.
First, and probably most important, make sure your mashed potatoes are still warm (even hot) when you go to spread them between the lasagna noodle layers. This will ensure they get an even spread and don’t tear the noodles up. I also found a metal spoon worked best for spreading as the potatoes didn’t stick to it.
For the lasagna noodles it is best to under cook them slightly (so they are al dente). By doing this you won’t end up with soggy noodles between layers of delicious loaded potatoes.
Lastly; prep, prep, prep! I cannot stress this enough with any recipe. Make sure you do things you can ahead of time (i.e. cook and crumble the bacon, chop the onions) so that when it comes time to assemble you are ready and not stressing that the bacon needs a few more flips to be crispy.
Want to make this ahead of time? OF course you can do this! Assemble everything up until the final baking time, cover and put in the fridge the day before and then heat for a quick dinner the next day. Just be sure to allow the casserole dish to come up to temperature in the oven as it preheats to prevent any cracked/broken dishes.
EASY Creamy Pierogi Casserole
This Baked Pierogi Casserole is a hearty meal that comes together easily. Loaded with potatoes, cheese, bacon and lasagna noodles that the entire family will love!
Ingredients
- 9 Lasagna Noodles, uncooked (NOT oven ready ones)
- 4 cups Warm Mashed Potatoes (about 5 lg potatoes cooked until soft and mashed with 2 tbsp butter and 1/3 c warm milk)
- 1/2 brick Regular Cream Cheese
- 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
- 6 strips Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Cook lasagna noodles over high heat in a large pot until al dente (just undercooked).
- Meanwhile, combine the cooked mashed potatoes with cream cheese, green onions, crumbled bacon, garlic powder, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. (Reserve a handful of crumbled bacon and green onions for top layer) Mix until fully incorporated.
Assembly
- Place 3 noodles across the bottom of a greased 9x13" baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of the potato mixture, using a metal spoon to spread evenly.
- Repeat layers 2 times and top the final layer with remaining cheese, bacon and green onions.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes - uncover and cook additional 5 minutes to brown the cheese.
Notes
You can prepare your mashed potato mixture in advance and just heat through so they are spreadable when ready to assemble the casserole.
You can top your casserole with any of the following for some added flavor;
Sour Cream
Sliced Green onions
Caramelized Onions
Crumbled Bacon
We love to serve this alongside a nice green salad like our Kale Slaw with Fennel Vinaigrette!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 773mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 15g
*Please note, nutritional values are not always 100% accurate and are to be used as a guideline
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