Pierogi Soup
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In just 15 minutes, make a delicious, hearty Pierogi Soup on the stove! It’s so easy to make this recipe with frozen pierogis, sauerkraut, and just the right combination of spices, for a warm and cozy meal.
Table of contents
When I first started dating my husband over 9 years ago, he introduced me to pierogis for the first time. He’s from Pittsburgh, where pierogis are much more predominant than they are on the west coast.
I immediately fell in love with these little potato filled dumplings, and now that soup season is here, I decided that I had to make a soup with frozen pierogis!
I started my pierogi soup recipe experiment with cabbage, but my husband pointed out that the soup was missing the sour element that generally is paired with pierogis, either sauerkraut or sour cream. On the next attempt, I used sauerkraut instead of cabbage and added sour cream, but adding too much of both made the soup too sour.
On the third attempt at perfecting this soup, I found the right balance of a salty, sour broth, that pairs wonderfully with the creamy, cheesy pierogis. Now this soup is a staple at our house for busy weeknights. It’s an easy meal to make in one pot, in just 15 minutes!
It’s also easy to customize. If you want to add a protein, we’ve tried both bacon and kielbasa sausage, and they’re both wonderful additions to the soup! Pair it with a crusty baguette or rosemary focaccia bread for a super cozy, scrumptious meal.
Ingredients
- Frozen pierogies – if you can find frozen mini pierogies, these work best in the soup. The Mrs.T’s 4 cheese mini pierogis pictured above is what I used each time I tested this recipe. These are hard to find in San Diego, so I’ve also made this soup with regular-size frozen pierogis. You just have to use your spoon to cut them in half in the soup, so it’s slightly harder to eat, but still totally doable if that’s all you can find. The flavor of the pierogi is up to you, we usually use onion, cheese, or sauerkraut.
- Unsalted butter – if using salted butter, reduce the added salt in the soup by 1/4 teaspoon.
- Onion – you’ll want 1/2 cup diced onion for this recipe, this will be half of a small onion or a quarter of a large onion. I recommend a yellow onion for it’s neutral flavor.
- Sauerkraut – if you’re not a fan of the sour flavor of sauerkraut, you can use shredded cabbage instead.
- Chicken broth (or chicken stock) – you can also use vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Salt + black pepper + paprika + garlic powder – to season the soup.
- Dried oregano – this earthy, aromatic herb adds a delicious peppery bite to the soup.
- Sour cream (optional topping) – when stirring the sour cream into the soup, I found that it did not blend well into the base of the soup. But if you still want that creamy, sour taste added to the soup, simply dollop it on top before serving. My husband always adds sour cream to this soup, I choose to eat it without the sour cream. Totally a personal preference call!
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the onions and pierogis. Melt butter in a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add frozen mini pierogis and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Pour sauerkraut into the pot.
- Add broth and season. Pour chicken broth in the pot and season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and dried oregano. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid and ladle the pierogi soup into bowls. Optionally top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Additions and variations
- Add kielbasa sausage: slice up 2-3 sausages and cook them in the pot for 6-8 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pot and set them aside. Add the butter, then complete the recipe as instructed. Stir the cooked, sliced kielbasa back into the soup before serving.
- Add bacon: dice up 6 slices of thick-cut bacon. Start by cooking the chopped bacon in the large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot and drain it on a paper towel lined plate. Instead of adding butter to the pot, use the bacon grease to cook the onions and pierogis, then continue the recipe as instructed. When serving the soup, sprinkle the cooked bacon on top.
- Add cooked rotisserie chicken: shred 1 cup of chicken and stir it into the soup after you add the seasonings. The chicken will warm up in the soup as it cooks on the stove.
- Replace the sauerkraut with cabbage: if using shredded cabbage instead of sauerkraut, add it to the pot with the onion so it will cook down with the onions and pierogis.
- Add diced tomatoes: replace 1 ½ cups of the chicken broth with a 14.5 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover pierogi soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove.
If reheating the soup in the microwave, ladle out a single serving into a bowl and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time. If reheating the soup on the stove, add the soup back to a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Simmer and heat up the soup for 5-7 minutes.
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Pierogi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 12.84 ounces frozen mini pierogies
- 1 cup sauerkraut
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup sour cream, optional topping
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the pierogies and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
- Add the sauerkraut and chicken broth to the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and oregano.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid and serve in bowls, optionally topped with sour cream.
Notes
- If you don’t like sauerkraut, you can replace it with shredded cabbage. Add the cabbage to the pot with the onion so it will cook down with the onions and pierogis.
- Store leftover pierogi soup in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stove.
- If reheating the soup in the microwave, ladle out a single serving into a bowl and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.
- If reheating the soup on the stove, add the soup back to a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Simmer and heat up the soup for 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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