Meals for One: Pierogies

I’ve never really been a fancy person, I prefer things to be simple and straightforward, especially my food. My cooking isn’t anything extravagant, and usually the most expensive ingredient that I purchase (besides meat) is in the cheese family- #noshame. Generally, my food involves a standard meal, with maybe just a little extra something to make it different. Not to mention living in New York is expensive so I don’t exactly have a large grocery budget.

Most of the time my meals involve a form of pasta, something cheesy and a good dose of vegetables, you know, so I grow up big and strong. One of my favorite things to make for myself are pierogies, and not just any pierogies, but Mrs. T’s Onion Pierogies straight out of the freezer section. Yep, you heard me- frozen food. The thing is, these can be lame, or they can be amazing. I personally think boiled pierogies are sad, so I like to spruce them up. In my house, anything and everything is better with some olive oil and garlic.

There are other flavors of Mrs. T’s but I like the onion ones the best.

Boil up some water, and toss in however many you want, and boil for about 4 minutes. You don’t really want to go longer than that or they’ll get too soft and won’t crisp up when you saute them later. After your four minutes are up, drain them, and throw them in a pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil, and a little scoop of minced garlic- you can go fresh or jarred, garlic is garlic.

Make sure they lie flat in the pan and evenly spaced out so they can get good and crispy. After a couple minutes, take a peek at the side that’s down in the pan, and if they’re a pretty golden brown, give ‘em a flip.

I go by color and sound to know when these are done. My preference is a true golden brown, and when I tap the outside of the pierogie with my fork, it makes a hard little sound, letting me know they’re crispy. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and transfer to a plate.

I like to top it off with some shredded parmesan cheese (I told you there would be cheese), and pair it with a simple salad or some roasted veggies, and voila! You have a totally delicious, mostly nutritious meal.

Side note- I wouldn’t advise eating these before or during a date. Not exactly fresh breath friendly, if you know what I’m saying.