Polish Lazy Pierogi {Pierogi Leniwe}
Polish Lazy Pierogi {Pierogi Leniwe} [pierogi leh-knee-veh] are a simple mixture of tangy farmer’s cheese* with flour and eggs. They are a simple Polish dumpling, that does not require making stuffing, neatly rolling out the dough, cutting circular shapes, stuffing and sealing. This is simple stuff. Combine, lightly roll and boil. I’m thinking this is why they’re called “lazy”. Simple always works for me.
Farmer’s cheese is cheap in Poland, so this is also a dish that will allow you to stretch your budget. We ate it on Friday’s a lot, as it was often a meatless dinner day. I didn’t care for meat much, so this worked for me. Eating a double portion probably cancelled the idea of eating modestly on Fridays, though. Oh well.
Polish Lazy Pierogi {Pierogi Leniwe}
Ingredients
- 1 lbs / 500 g of farmer's cheese
- 3 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 1 - 1 ½ c / 125-190 g of all-purpose flour
- ADDITIONALLY:
- Salt
- Oil
- 3-4 tbsp of butter
- 3-4 tbsp of bread crumbs
- Sugar
Instructions
Crumble farmer's cheese into a bowl, add eggs and salt. Use hand mixer to break up the cheese and mix with eggs until fairly broken up (there will be visible lumps of cheese).
Add about 1 cup / 135 grams of flour and fold in with your hands. When it combines a bit, transfer onto a well-floured board or other clean surface. Keep folding until dough forms, don't knead. If still too loose, add a bit more flour. Dough should be soft, but keep form.
Fill a large pot with water about half way, add about a ½ teaspoon of salt and a splash of oil and set to boil.
Place bread crumbs in a small pan (dry) and toast until golden brown. WATCH THIS PART! They will burn quickly if not stirred. Add butter and stir until combined. Turn off and set aside.
Divide dough into about 3 parts and form a log by rolling against the board back and forth with your hands pressing lightly. When desired thickness is achieved (2 inches / 4 centimeters), lightly flatten the log and cut into pieces at an angle.
When the water starts boiling, turn the heat down and add about half of your batch. Lightly stir to prevent from sticking to the bottom. When dumplings start to float, boil on very low for about 2 min. Serve immediately, garnished with buttery bread crumbs and a sprinkle of sugar.
Notes
Sometimes the type of farmer's cheese I buy is very dry and hard to break up. By dry, I mean, it's like a brick of cheese, one that you can easily cut and it will keep shape. If this is the case for you, add a few tablespoons of cream.
Let me know what you think. Are they lazy because they’re easy to make or are they lazy because that’s how you’re going to feel after eating a double portion 🙂
Smacznego!
Anna
*you can find farmer’s cheese in almost any grocery store in the US these days. It was hard to find 15 years ago when I first moved here, but I’m glad it’s so easy to find now. Sometimes it’s near the cottage cheese section, but I’ve also found it in the “fancy” cheese section. When in doubt, ask someone. If all fails, make your own, recipe here.
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You can also add dehydrated onion flakes. It gives it a great flavor.
Thanks for the tip!
We would substitute cottage cheese for the farmers cheese and just drop by tablespoons into boiling water and cook until they float. serve with sauteed butter and onions. Thanks this was enough to get me going again
Before slicing, my Babcia taught me to decorate the tops with a diagonal pressing of the back edge of a knife. Just another tradition in our family.
I was wondering at which point you add the cheese mixture to the dough.
My mom would fry bacon & add to dumpling water at the end. We would have clog your arteries dumplings in bacon gravy. Delicious!
🤣
My last comment meant for dumpling recipe, not lazy pierogie although we often had those too.
Aren’t these just kopytka with famers cheese added to them?
My Mom taught me FAST PIEROGI. sauté onions, add saurkraut, ad 2 or 3 eggs and stir til all are mixed. Serve with cooked shell noodles. Fast and easy.
Interesting! 😊 Thanks for sharing!
The finished product was enjoyable, but the process took so long because my dough was super sticky. I used 3 large eggs, 200g farmers cheese (the kind that looks like cottage cheese curds), and 300g bulgari cheese (similar to a block of feta), and at least 350g flour. The more I worked the dough, the stickier it became. Maybe I should have put a touch of oil on my hands and board, instead of flour? Any suggestions or comments on my “user error” would be greatly appreciated 🙂 This was the first time I had buttered bread crumbs, amazing (I made them using homemade potato bread, too)!!!
Mary, this dough IS tricky, I agree. The key is to flour your hands and then gently fold the dough instead of kneading. The process is similar to making “kopytka”, I did a YouTube video about “kopytka”, check it out, maybe it will be helpful. Good luck!
Can you freeze these? Cooked or uncooked?
Freeze cooked.
Anna, your video was so helpful. I can’t wait to make the pierogi leniwe. You mentioned that they can be frozen after cooking. How do you prepare them after being frozen? Thank you.
These were easy to make and so light and delicious!
I am gluten free and dairy free but want to make these. I have substitutes for the flour, butter, & bread crumbs. What can I substitute for the farmer’s cheese? TIA!
That’s a tough one. Perhaps a vegan cheese?
Hi Anna,
Both my grandmother and mother would make perogi using dry cottage cheese, onion, pepper egg and a pinch of salt but they would stuff the dough, boil, and cover in butter. Growing up, this was the only perogi I knew. It was not until I was in my 20’s that I found out about other types!,! To this day, my mom’s recipe is still my favorite along with my 3 daughters. I have also taught them how to make grannies recipe. Living in the states, farmers cheese is what I use.
Michelle,
That recipe sounds heavenly. It’s wonderful that you share it with your daughters, it’s the only way to make sure our culinary traditions live on. Take care.
Anna.