Pierogi Lasagna

Ok, so it's cold outside and you're craving comfort....boy have I got a dish for you!  Ever hear of Pierogi Lasagna?  Think a mash up between macaroni and cheese and buttery mashed potatoes with carmelized onions.  It's a carb overload...so if you have a marathon in your future this is the dish for you...and if you don't have a marathon in your future you might want to run one after eating this decadent dish...nonetheless....it's delicious and worth every calorie of comfort!

Pierogi Lasagna

Recipe courtesy Christina Deyo

My mom makes homemade pierogi on special holidays so I grew up loving it.  I enjoy continuing the tradition and making it for my family.  My kids love it as much as I always did.  One day a friend told me she was at a party and someone made “Pierogi Lasagna”.  I couldn’t even imagine what this would be.  She said it consisted of rich buttery noodles, caramelized onions, and. creamy mashed potatoes.  I knew I was destined to try this.  So after some trial and error, I came up with this recipe.  I wasn’t sure how my family would react—but the empty lasagna pan told me everything I wanted to know. 

I like to make it “vegetarian” style, but you could add bacon to this recipe. To do this simply cook bacon with the onions and garlic.

Ingredients:

7 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

½ cup milk

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. chopped fresh chives.

Salt/pepper to taste

16 oz. package lasagna noodles

1 stick butter

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

6 slices cheddar cheese

Sour cream to serve with

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Place potatoes in a large pot with water to cover over high heat.  Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender.  Remove from heat, drain, and place in large bowl, then mash potatoes.  Combine with milk, sour cream, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons butter, fresh chives, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package and cool under cold running water.  Set aside.

Melt the stick of butter in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and garlic as well as salt and pepper.  Sauté until caramelized and light golden brown. (approximately 7 to 10 minutes).

In a 9 x 13 greased baking dish place 3 lasagna noodles.  On top of that spread a third of the mashed potatoes, layer on top of the potatoes a third of the buttery onion/garlic mixture.  And on top of that place 1/3 of the shredded cheddar cheese.  Repeat these layers with the remaining noodles, potatoes, onions and cheese ending with a layer of noodles.

When completed add a final layer of cheese slices.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted, and bubbly and golden brown.  Serve with sour cream and fresh chives (optional)