Tag Archives: casserole

#NationalPierogiDay

This one’s coming out of left field, but I love pierogies SO much that I cannot help but share some easy recipes that will please literally anyone. If you don’t like pierogies, I don’t even know what to say.

First, some history. Pierogies are filled dumplings of Eastern European origin. They’re made by wrapping pockets of unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling. Generally, we’re working with potato and cheese, but there’s also fillings along the lines of sauerkraut, ground meats, and fruits. They’re generally served with melted butter, sour cream, or fried onion (or all of the above). I will not sit here and tell you these are ‘good for you’, but they are certainly incredibly easy to make and so, so delicious.

A lot of people, including myself, sticks generally to the frozen pierogies you find at your local grocery store. That’s why I am going to start with a recipe that uses these frozen pierogies, and simply makes them more delicious than you’ve probably ever prepared them before.

ItIsAKeeper.com hits us with a simple recipe, 3 ingredients: 1 package of frozen pierogies, half a cup of butter, and one onion, thinly sliced. The directions? Put them all in a slow cooker, put on the lid, and cook for 3-4 hours.

Crockpot Pierogies

Crockpot Pierogies [http://www.itisakeeper.com/10088/best-crock-pot-recipe-crock-pot-pierogies/]

Equally as easy, and such a fun spin on pierogies, TheKitchenMagpie.com curated a recipe for Crockpot Lazy Pierogie Casserole. Intrigued? So was I! This doesn’t involve any real pierogies, but takes all of the best elements from them and combines them into a delicious lasagna/casserole – potatoes, bacon, cheese…yum.

To prepare the crockpot, you’ll need to boil lasagna noodles, peel, dice, and boil potatoes, mash potatoes with cheese, milk, and spices, prepare a ricotta cheese mixture, fry up some onions, and cook up some bacon. May sound like a lot, but all of these things are pretty basic and take minimal prep time or skill.

Then starts the layering in the crockpot, starting with lasagna noodles. Then spread ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, then goes the potato cheese mixture, then bacon and onions. And repeat! Cook in the crockpot on low for two hours – and you’re done!

Lazy Pierogi Casserole

Lazy Pierogi Casserole [http://mommysavers.com/homemade-pierogies-meat-freezer-meal/]

I saved the most challenging pierogi recipe for last: homemade pierogies. Dun dun dun. That being said, the perk here is that your work will go a long way – this is a great freezer meal!

To make the dough: combine potato flakes and boiling water and allow to cool. Add remaining ingredients (2 beaten eggs, salt, and all purpose flour) and mix until dough forms. Roll out dough and use a round cookie cutter or glass to make rounds for each pierogi.

Brush each round with beaten egg, flip over, and add about a tablespoon of your homemade pierogi filling – my favorite is potato and cheese and couldn’t be easier. You can always add bacon – it’s really up to you! Whatever your favorite is. Seal the pierogi shut and boil until they rise to the top (about 3-4 minutes). Once done, saute in a frying pan with butter – feel free to add onions! Serve with sour cream.

To freeze: allow pierogies to completely dry after boiling, lay flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. After they’re frozen, feel free to place in zippered plastic bags. To serve, thaw completely and saute to finish cooking. That’s all! Enjoy #nationalpierogiday and please let us know if you have any recipes of your own for this delicious treat!

Homemade Pierogies

Homemade Pierogies [http://mommysavers.com/homemade-pierogies-meat-freezer-meal/]

Freezer Meals of the Week!

Happy Wednesday, All!

First and foremost, I wanted to make sure that you all know that I have a Pinterest page. Here is where I draw so much inspiration for my inexpensive lifestyle for my family! I have tons of boards and pins from tips to making money, to DIY, to Freebies & Coupons. My personal favorite board is my ‘Cheap Recipes’ board – go figure. So many of my pins lately have been freezer friendly meals that not only make life cheaper but so, so easy. I want to share some of my favorites with you today, and hopefully in future blog posts as well. The sky is the limit with these!

Without further ado….FREEZER MEALS OF THE WEEK!

1) Mom On Timeout’s Breakfast Burrito Bonanza

burrito_bonanza

Mom On Time Out’s Burrito Bonanza [http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/08/breakfast-burrito-bonanza/]

Not only is this recipe super easy and delicious, but it’s so, so versatile to all of your personal tastes. Their recipe calls for 3 types of meats, eggs, cheese, and potatoes. I know this is right up my husband’s alley, but personally, I’d love mine to be chock full of veggies. Just as easy! Fry up your meat or veggies, roast potatoes, scramble and season eggs, and wrap your ideal burrito up! Put them on a tray and flash freeze for an hour, and then plastic wrap each individually and place in a ziplock bag and pop in the freezer for the long term. To heat these up, wrap in a wet paper towel and heat for 3 minutes on 50% power. Great for an on-the-go quick breakfast!

Have some extra time? Serve with sour cream and salsa for a full meal. This is sure to please everyone.

2) Fabulessly Frual’s Cheesy Stuffed Shells

This is a staple meal. I ate this growing up, my kids will eat this growing up, and hopefully their kids too. Stuffed Shells is the ultimate comfort food for the Anders and Fabulessly Frugal has a great recipe for it that’s very freezer friendly.

cheesy_stuffed_shells

Cheesy Stuffed Shells [http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-cheesy-stuffed-shells/]

 The recipe they prove makes 6 8×8 pans of stuffed shells. Each pan holds 12 shells and serves about 6 people. Meals for days!

The recipe is incredibly straightforward and is exactly how I like my shells, chock full of cheesy goodness + lots of spinach!

To prepare for the freezer, all you need to do is cover with a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. You can freeze up to one month!

To prepare for cooking from the freezer, you remove the plastic wrap and replace the foil cover. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil + bake an additional 15-30 minutes and you should have a warm, bubbly dinner all good to go!

3) EatGood4Life’s Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

This is an awesome meatless freezer meal option. Though this recipe does not describe this as a freezer meal, generally any casserole can be stored and frozen, ready to be reheated at any time. This one in particular is incredibly easy, as you don’t even have to pre-cook the quinoa! In the comments, there are some seriously awesome ideas on serving and tweaks to the recipe. One user suggests adding additional veggies + chicken, some suggest adding additional garlic.

broccoli_quinoa_casserole

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole [http://www.eatgood4life.com/broccoli-quinoa-casserole/]

If you choose to freeze, baking time just needs to be increased by 10-15 minutes. Another protip would be to defrost in the fridge before freezing instead of placing in the oven frozen. Give this one a try, and leave any tweaks or tips you have in the comments!

I’ve got tons more, but I’ll leave you guys with 3 awesome recipes for this week. Stay tuned next week for more goodies!