Grandma's Budget Pierogi Casserole Recipe Fills You Up (5 Ingredients) by Donna John

Instant mashed potatoes. That was one of the reasons I almost scrolled past this budget pierogi casserole recipe. Growing up, that's all my mom made when we had mashed potatoes for dinner, which was quite often. When I started cooking for myself, I discovered mashed potatoes made with real potatoes, and I never looked back. My grandma was from Poland, so I put my prejudices aside about boxed taters and made this pierogi casserole – with a few tweaks.

Pierogi are dumplings stuffed with a filling. In Poland, traditional fillings are potato, sauerkraut and meat. Some even put sweet fillings in pierogi. An interesting fact is although they are thought of as a Polish food, many dispute that because of the history of pierogi in China and other areas of Europe. Regardless, pierogi was mentioned in Polish cookbooks in the late 17th century. I have always considered it a Polish food.

To make this budget-friendly vegetarian high-protein casserole you will need just five ingredients: a box of instant mashed potatoes, butter, cheddar cheese, a big onion and lasagna noodles. The ingredients are layered in a casserole dish and baked until hot, buttery and cheesy.

Because this is such a heavy and rich dish, I served mine with a fresh garden salad as the side dish.

Cuisine: American / Polish / European
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter (divided)
• 1 box instant mashed potatoes (prepare amount for six servings)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles

Here's how to make it: 

1. Make six servings of the instant mashed potatoes according to package directions. You could use homemade mashed potatoes instead of the instant mashed potatoes.
   
2. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese and set aside. Season with black pepper, if desired. Substitute your favorite cheese for the cheddar cheese. Gruyere, Swiss, mozzarella, Monterey Jack or even a cheese blend would work well.
   
3. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
   
4. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet. Add the onions. Season with black pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. The original recipe called for, in my opinion, an insane amount of butter. Almost two sticks. I reduced the butter in this recipe to just 5 tablespoons.
   
5. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of a casserole dish.
   
6. Put half of the cooked lasagna noodles onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with half of the onions and all of the mashed potatoes. If you want a thinner casserole, bake it in a 13x9-inch baking pan.
   
7. Top with the remaining noodles and onions, then sprinkle with cheese. This casserole doesn't need any added salt, but be generous with the black pepper.
   
8. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes.
   
9. Slice the casserole and serve. Add some freshness to the casserole by garnishing with chopped green onion.
   
10. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
    

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