Pierogi Burger
The idea of putting a burger on two huge pierogi “buns” seems crazy yet obvious at the same time. Pierogi work perfectly as a bun, and even LOOK LIKE A BUN! The flavors are absolutely perfect together! Why haven’t I thought of it before now!?!? and why did I finally actually think of it?
Well let me explain- I have been playing this game Night in the Woods on my Switch and I am completely obsessed.
It is hard to describe how this game works, but I would recommend it to anyone, it is engrossing and beautiful and way more emotional than you would think it would be, considering the main character is a cartoon cat.
At one point in the game, some of the characters are eating at a mall food court (because that’s the kind of things you do in this game) and they can’t decide between a pizza-taco and a pierogi burger, and I immediately knew I needed to make a pierogi burger. I made it the next day, which was yesterday, and here I am posting about it today.
Making the pierogi dough
If you want, you could make sliders and use store bought pierogi. I wanted a full size burger, so I needed to make my own pierogi.
Pierogi dough follows a similar ratio to any other pasta dough with flour and eggs, but some recipes add sour cream to it. If there is an option to add sour cream to something, believe you me, I will be adding sour cream.
Making the pierogi filling
The filling is potato, onion, butter, and cheese. I like to use a potato ricer to get rid of any chunks of potatoes. Here are some tools that can help you make the best pierogi- A potato ricer, and ravioli cutter.
Roll out the dough, then cut rounds of dough. Make the rounds “burger sized” whatever that means to you. I wanted a nice big burger so I made them about 4.5 inches in diameter.
These are already looking bun-like! It was at this point in the recipe that I got really excited for the pierogi burger.
After you boil them, sauté in some butter to brown.
Let’s build up the pierogi burger!
Start with the bottom bun pierogi, then add the burger. The burger obviously has some cheese on top, I used jack cheese because I wanted a mild and melty cheese, but cheddar would also be great!
Then the toppings are sour cream and caramelized onions. I let the onions cook slow with some butter for about 45 minutes to get nice and brown.
Look how beautiful this burger is!
Twists and substitutions for the pierogi burger
Pierogi like these with potato and cheese are called pierogi ruskie but Pierogi come in many different varieties. You could try any of these different filling ideas for pierogi and they would go great with the burger!
- onion
- feta and spinach
- sauerkraut and mushroom
- meat
- ricotta
- sweet cheese and fruit
This thing was surprisingly portable. The large pierogi were flexible and helped it all form together as one big burger. The potato is so buttery and creamy and goes great with the burger. I had a little extra sour cream on the side to dip it in because that’s how I roll.
If you are looking for more unique pierogi ideas, check out my pierogi lasagna, or these corned beef and cheddar pierogi.
Pierogi Burger
Ingredients
dough
- 3 cups flour
- 3 eggs
- 8 ounces sour cream
- salt
filling
- 2 cups cooked potatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- salt and pepper
burgers
- 20 ounces ground beef
- 4 slices jack cheese
- 3 large onions sliced
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
- To make the dough, mix the ingredients in a large bowl until combined, then pour on to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth. Wrap with plastic and set aside in the fridge.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions. Cook on medium low for about 10 minutes. Pour the butter mixture into a bowl with the cooked potatoes and mash them all together. Add the cheese and stir to mix.
- Cook the sliced onion in a pan with some butter on medium heat for about a half hour/45 minutes until browned.
- Roll out the dough and cut 16 burger sized rounds from it. Place a scoop of the potato mixture on half of the rounds. Place the other half on top of the first half to form the pierogi. Press the potato mixture to a uniform size and shape, and make sure to get most of the air out. Seal the pierogi on the edges with a fork.
- Bring water to a boil and cook the pierogi until they float, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from water and add to a frying pan with butter. Sear on both sides to golden brown.
- Meanwhile, form burger patties the same size as the pierogi.
- Once all the pierogi are done cooking, add the burgers to the pan and cook on high heat about 4 minutes per side to a medium doneness. Add cheese after flipping.
- Put a pierogi on a plate and place the burger on top. Add the onions and some sour cream and top with another pirogi. Serve!
Thanks for the recipe. It was one of the most unusual things I’ve ever eaten (but in a good way 🙂
I am 40 weeks pregnant and due to give birth in 4 DAYS! When I seen this as an ad on Facebook I KNEW I needed to make this. I haven’t yet, as it’s 2 am, & I can’t sleep, but my mouth is WATERING already. This WILL be made by the time I give birth, and I WILL update with a better review once done. I. Can. Not. Wait‼️ To try this pierogi’s are my favorite thing on this earth. THANK YOU for sharing this!
This looks amazing and delicious except for one thing. While steak can be safe to eat rare, burgers should NEVER be cooked to less than 160°F because the meat is ground up causing whatever bacteria is on the outside to be equally distributed throughout the meat. I know they are juicier and maybe more flavorful when they are not overdone, but underdone could send you to the bathroom repeatedly for several hours or even to the ER in some cases.
nobody cares Debbi – you do you, well do us.
I just saw this 4 1/2 year-old post (to think that it dates back to the Before Times when we didn’t cower at home from the plague is inspiring) today and wanted to say thank you and that I intend to give it a go.
Satisfying!