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My homemade Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits are the perfect meal to make with family and friends. Simple sweet potato-filled Pierogi dumplings mixed with cheddar cheese and tossed in a nutty, buttery pan sauce. Then topped with crispy homemade bacon bits. Every Pierogi is cheesy, buttery, full of creamy sweet potatoes, layered with delicious sauce, and topped with salty crisp bacon. These are especially delicious on cold winter nights.
Yes, I love love love pierogi, and at this point probably have too many potato pierogi recipes on this site. But while I’ve always loved classic potato pierogi, I didn’t always love sweet potato pierogi.
For the longest time, I thought about swapping sweet potatoes in place of potatoes, but the idea just never sat well with me. I love a good potato pierogi too much. But finally, when working on the HBH Every Day book, I made my first sweet potato pierogi. I loved the dish so much that it became the cover recipe. And now I LOVE using sweet potatoes as my pierogi filling.
The idea for these came in a funny way. My dad and I were randomly talking about eating potato skins when my brothers and I were growing up. He’d often make cheesy potato skins and top them with those bacon bits that came in a shaker jar from the store.
Scary to think we used to eat that stuff!! Especially when homemade bacon bits are so easy!
Regardless, I was saying how much I LOVED his potatoes skins. We both agreed, the bacon bits combined with the cheddar cheese were the secret. So when I was brainstorming this recipe, I pretty much knew that cheddar cheese and bacon bits had to be a big part.
I had so many sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving, so pierogi with bacon bits just made sense.
Here are details
Start with the dough. It’s your basic, flour, egg, salt, combo, but what’s unique about most pierogi recipes is the use of sour cream in the dough. The sour cream keeps the dough moist and adds the slightest tang. I always use plain greek yogurt instead, which works perfectly. However, you can certainly use an equal amount of sour cream if you prefer.
Next, the filling – cheesy, creamy, buttery sweet potatoes, simple as that. Don’t mess with it, so good.
You can make the potatoes by baking them in the oven, or you can use the instant pot. I prefer to use theinstant pot. It’s the easiest, quickest way to make a mashed potato.
Once the dough is ready, roll it out, cut it, and stuff it with the sweet potatoes. I line them all up on a baking sheet as I work. From here, you’ll boil them off just like you would ravioli or any other pasta.
You can also make these in bulk over the weekend, then flash freeze them for another time. They make for a fun and easy lunch or dinner any day of the week. Simply take the frozen pierogi and drop them in boiling water. They take just minutes to cook.
Last up are the bacon and sauce. Crisp the bacon up in a skillet and finely chop. Add butter, rosemary, and chili flakes. Then toss the pierogi in the sauce.
I like to top the pierogi with extra cheddar, then the bacon bits, and a small dollop of yogurt. So yummy. We could not love these more! The sweet potatoes with the bacon are such a great combination!
Looking for other winter dinners? Here are some favorites:
Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Sheet Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
Folded Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Lastly, if you make these Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour
Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 512 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 cup plain full fat greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, finely chopped
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- chili flakes
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
1. To make the dough. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, butter, yogurt, and egg, and mix until combined. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let sit 30 minutes.
2. To make the filling. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake directly on the rack until tender, 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Once cool use your hands to peel away the sweet potato skins. They should just easily slip off. Place the potatoes in a bowl and mash well. Stir in the cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
4. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 3-inch circles.Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each round. Brush the edges with water and fold half of the dough over the filling to enclose it. Press down the edges to seal, pressing out all the air. Keep the dough covered as you work to prevent it from drying out. At this point, thepierogi can be flash-frozen on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transferred to a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
5. When ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pierogi in batches for 2-3 minutes, or until they float. Drain.
6. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Pull it out, and drain the excess fat. Add the butter and rosemary. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the butter is brown and the rosemary is crisp.Remove from the heat and add the chili flakes.
7. Drop the pierogi into the sauce, gently tossing to combine. Serve in the sauce, and top with cheddar cheese and bacon bits. EAT!
Instant Pot
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 10 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick-release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes.
2. Finish as directed above from step 2 on.
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