Freezer Meal - Kielbasa & Pierogi

About a month ago I tried a turkey kielbasa to replace the more fattening pork and made this one pot meal.

We both agreed we actually liked it better. Had the flavor, the juiciness, the smoke without all the fat and at the same price.


That's a good thing. Usually chicken and turkey alternatives to beef and pork are twice the price, which you would think would be the same price because chicken and turkey are economical cuts of protein.

Since I am making a grilled pizza tomorrow (supposed to be a nice warm day tomorrow), we are not going out for pizza tonight. I had to figure something out that did not require a whole day to defrost.

I remembered we bought some pierogi and had half that turkey kielbasa in the freezer.

Since we ate the broccoli last night I will slice a large carrot and add that to the casserole and............

Dinner is served!

Sure, I could make my own pierogi, but I really am in no mood to make a mess in my kitchen. I just scrubbed it from head to toe and I want to enjoy it for a few days before I break out the flour. I will probably be testing gluten free fresh egg pasta on Sunday anyways, and I will be throwing all kinds of flours around.

Cut your slices on as much as a diagonal as you can. With the shape of the sausage they will be slightly uneven slices. No Big Deal.
In canola oil, brown them on both sides. When I say brown, I mean dark brown.


In the same pan add your onions, garlic and carrots. Cover and saute on low for about 15 minutes. Add water, broth, beer or wine to the pan and cover and steam for another 15 minutes. Remember the carrots are large slices and need to cook for quite a while.

When a knife inserted into the carrots meets with a slight resistance, add the pierogies and, like you would a pot sticker, steam in 1 cup of water or broth (but not beer or wine this time, we do not want that flavor in the dough) and cover and steam until they are cooked. Once the water evaporates the bottoms will brown and get that crust we are looking for.

It needed some color so I threw in a handful of peas.

Serve with some good brown mustard, some applesauce and maybe even sour cream.