Sauerkraut pierogi

Name: Sauerkraut pierogi
Prep time: 14 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil; 2 Shallots; 150g Sauerkraut; 150g Hispi (sweetheart) Cabbage; 1 large Egg; 1/2 tbs Vegetable Oil; 350g Plain Flour; For frying Vegetable Oil; 2 Shallots; Dusting Plain Flour; 45g Butter; 60 ml Sour Cream

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with Polish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 65 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 39 min total

1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil
2 Shallots
150g Sauerkraut
150g Hispi (sweetheart) Cabbage
1 large Egg
1/2 tbs Vegetable Oil
350g Plain Flour
For frying Vegetable Oil
2 Shallots
Dusting Plain Flour
45g Butter
60 ml Sour Cream

Step-by-step instructions

First, make the crispy shallots. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 secs). Toss the shallots in a little flour and deep-fry for 1 min or until light golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper. Can be made up to two days before and kept in an airtight container.
To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan and gently fry the shallots for 10 mins until starting to turn golden.
Add the sauerkraut and cabbage, and cook for 5-10 mins until the cabbage has softened. Taste and add a little salt if under-seasoned, or sugar if stringent. Scrape into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
To make the dough, mix the eggs and oil with 125ml water, then gradually add in the flour, mixing well with your hands. Knead it on a well-floured surface until the dough stops sticking to your hands. You should end up with firm, elastic dough. Wrap it in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or overnight.
Flour your work surface generously. Roll out the dough to a 40cm circle or until the dough is as thick as £1 coin.
Using a 9cm cookie cutter, cut out discs in the dough – you should end up with about 25 discs. Do not throw away the off-cuts – we throw them in with the pierogi when boiling to minimise any waste.
Have a well-floured tray ready. Put 1 tsp of the filling into the centre of each disc. In your hand, fold in half around the filling and seal to create half-moon shapes. Put them on the floured tray, making sure they don’t touch each other.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and carefully lower the pierogi in. Boil them for 2 mins or until they float to the top.
Drain and serve with a knob of butter and some soured cream. Finish by sprinkling the crispy shallots on top to serve.

Why this works on a weeknight

Sauerkraut pierogi lands at about 39 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Sauerkraut pierogi actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian Polish