Walk through the frozen food aisle at your local Costco and you’ll find a wide selection of meats, vegetables, fruits, snacks, and prepared meals that are perfect for stocking your freezer. But once you’ve filled your cart with frozen berries, chicken, and sorbets, make sure to pick up my all-time favorite frozen food at Costco: Cassia’s Pierogi. These potato and cheese dumplings are a great addition to any meal and so satisfying they can be the star of any dinner. Here’s why you should try these fluffy potato dumplings the next time you shop at Costco:
Authentic taste
Some of my friends think it’s strange that I buy frozen meals when I’m honing my cooking skills and making a living by writing about food and developing recipes. But I often find myself exhausted by the time dinner comes around, because I spend so much time during the day cooking and writing about food. But I have to feed my family, so at the end of the day I insist on eating together, sharing meals and bonding. So I have no qualms about using quality frozen meals that help me get dinner on the table quickly.
Kasia’s pierogi are all about making them quickly. They only take a few minutes to prepare – much faster than homemade pierogi. Homemade pierogi are usually only made for special occasions because they are quite labor-intensive and time-consuming. First, you have to quickly make the mashed potato and cheese filling. You can also make this with leftover mashed potatoes, but you have to plan ahead. Next, you have to prepare the skin by making a quick flour dough. Finally, you have to stuff the soft skin with potatoes and cheese, pinching the edges just right so they don’t burst when cooking. It’s not that pierogi are hard to make, it just takes time, especially for a weekday dinner. Kasia’s pierogi are the best alternative to homemade. They are real, authentic tasting potato dumplings made with russet potatoes, baker’s cheese, and a dash of yellow onion.
It’s versatile
Costco sells a large container of frozen pierogis for $11.49, which is a great price considering you’ll get at least four meals. The pierogis are sold separately sealed in three 14-ounce packages, so it’s easy to open one at a time and pop the rest in the freezer to use for another meal.
There are a few different ways to prepare pierogi, whether homemade or store-bought. You can either cook the pierogi in lightly salted boiling water until they’re soft and hot (usually just floating on the surface), or, my favorite way, pan-fry the pierogi in a large skillet over medium-low heat with a little olive oil or butter. Pan-frying gives the potato dumplings a slightly crispy, golden exterior that’s super tasty. This method takes about 10 minutes, but if you’re in a hurry, you can just boil them and have dinner ready in about 3 minutes.
So how do I like to serve my Cassia pierogi? Very simply, topped with sour cream and thinly sliced chives. However, my wife loves it when I sauté some onions in the same skillet I use to cook the pierogi, which adds a great savory and sweet flavor to the dish. My daughters love it topped with a fried or poached egg. I often serve mine with a green vegetable, like broccoli, as a side dish.
If I’m really feeling motivated, I pan fry the pierogi until golden brown and make a quick sauce with onion, garlic, and frozen peas. Then I add a few drops of sour cream to make them creamy and juicy. Top with a fried egg and you’ve got yourself a delicious and satisfying meal. These frozen pierogi are easy to prepare, so they’re all ready in about 15 minutes. If you’re salivating like me while writing about this dish, next time you’re at Costco, pick up some Cassia’s pierogi with potato and cheese.
