ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Healthy Perogies!

Updated on July 1, 2013

Spelt pierogis with cheese, potato and beet tops

4.5 stars from 2 ratings of Spelt pierogis

Spelt perogies with potato, beet tops and cheese

Not perogies but aren't they beautiful? Check the rest of the blog for pierogi pictures!
Not perogies but aren't they beautiful? Check the rest of the blog for pierogi pictures! | Source
Here are the pierogis! Just like Grandma and Great Grandma used to make. Of course they used white flour.
Here are the pierogis! Just like Grandma and Great Grandma used to make. Of course they used white flour. | Source
There isn't many ingredients but they are so good!
There isn't many ingredients but they are so good! | Source
Measuring the spelt. You of course can use white or whole wheat or a 50/50 blend of both.
Measuring the spelt. You of course can use white or whole wheat or a 50/50 blend of both. | Source
Mixing the eggs, coconut oil and yogurt together.
Mixing the eggs, coconut oil and yogurt together. | Source
Take the wet ingredients: coconut oil, yogurt, and eggs and mix them together with your hands. At first it may seem that you will never get this mess into a cohesive ball, but you will.
Take the wet ingredients: coconut oil, yogurt, and eggs and mix them together with your hands. At first it may seem that you will never get this mess into a cohesive ball, but you will. | Source
Cover or wrap your dough ball and let it sit while you get the filling ready.
Cover or wrap your dough ball and let it sit while you get the filling ready. | Source
Thinly ribbon the beet tops. I grated the beets raw to serve with the perogies. I love two vegetables in one!
Thinly ribbon the beet tops. I grated the beets raw to serve with the perogies. I love two vegetables in one! | Source
Peel the potatoes. When I was a young girl,  my mom always made me peel the potatoes. Now when she comes over to eat, I give her the job!
Peel the potatoes. When I was a young girl, my mom always made me peel the potatoes. Now when she comes over to eat, I give her the job! | Source
It's good to cut the pieces into uniform sizes so each piece cooks at the same time.
It's good to cut the pieces into uniform sizes so each piece cooks at the same time. | Source
I used a pasty cutter to mash the beets tops and potato together.
I used a pasty cutter to mash the beets tops and potato together. | Source
These are garlic cheese curds sold at our local  street market. They are made fresh. You can use any cheese you think would taste delicious in your pierogis, or, none at all if you are vegan. I did grate these pieces smaller.
These are garlic cheese curds sold at our local street market. They are made fresh. You can use any cheese you think would taste delicious in your pierogis, or, none at all if you are vegan. I did grate these pieces smaller. | Source
The last 3-5 minutes of cooking the potatos' I tossed in the beet top. Why dirty up another pan?
The last 3-5 minutes of cooking the potatos' I tossed in the beet top. Why dirty up another pan? | Source
Drain the potato and beet tops well.
Drain the potato and beet tops well. | Source
Are you worried if the kids see something green in their dinner they won't eat it? These greens disappear in the potatoes so don't worry!
Are you worried if the kids see something green in their dinner they won't eat it? These greens disappear in the potatoes so don't worry! | Source
Add the cheese as you mash the filling together.
Add the cheese as you mash the filling together. | Source
Cut your ball of dough in half and roll one half out into a bit circle. You want the dough thin but not so thin that it tears when you stretch it.
Cut your ball of dough in half and roll one half out into a bit circle. You want the dough thin but not so thin that it tears when you stretch it. | Source
I used a 4 inch biscuit cutter to make perfect circles.
I used a 4 inch biscuit cutter to make perfect circles. | Source
Take your circle and put about a tablespoon of filling on one half of the circle along with a line of water all around the outer circle edge. This will act as glue and hold the pierogi together. Then take the other side and stretch it out.
Take your circle and put about a tablespoon of filling on one half of the circle along with a line of water all around the outer circle edge. This will act as glue and hold the pierogi together. Then take the other side and stretch it out. | Source
Once you have stretched your dough over the filling to meet the other side, crimp it closed with your fingers. You want to make a good seal or all your filling will come out when you are boiling them.
Once you have stretched your dough over the filling to meet the other side, crimp it closed with your fingers. You want to make a good seal or all your filling will come out when you are boiling them. | Source
I will set 3 aside for dinner and the rest I will freeze for my future "fast food" dinner.
I will set 3 aside for dinner and the rest I will freeze for my future "fast food" dinner. | Source
I carmelized some onions to go on top. Reminds me of when I was a little girl. Maybe next time I will fill them with sauerkraut!
I carmelized some onions to go on top. Reminds me of when I was a little girl. Maybe next time I will fill them with sauerkraut! | Source
I grated the raw beets and a raw carrot for a yummy salad to go along with the pierogis.
I grated the raw beets and a raw carrot for a yummy salad to go along with the pierogis. | Source

Spelt pierogis with cheese, potato and beet tops

Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 7 min
Ready in: 1 hour 2 min
Yields: 24 pierogis

Spelt pierogis with cheese, potato and beet tops

  • 4 1/2 cup spelt flour, You can use white or whole wheat instead
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, or butter, if using butter you will have to melt it first
  • 1 cup greek style yogurt, or sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large potato's, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup cheese, grated
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Spelt pierogis with cheese potatoes and beet tops

  1. In a large bowl measure out the flour and salt. Set the bowl aside.
  2. In another bowl, cream together the coconut oil, eggs and yogurt. Add these wet ingredients into the flour. Mix together with a large spoon. It will seem dry, but at this point just stick your hands in and mix all the ingredients together to form a ball. Cover the ball and set it aside while you prepare the filling.
  3. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to boil on your stove. Meanwhile, peel and cut your potatos and slice the beet tops into ribbons and grate your cheese.
  4. When the water comes to a boil drop in the potatos. They will need about twelve to fifteen minutes. You will want to keep checking. You are looking for fork tender potatoes. About 5 minutes before you think they are ready, drop in the beet tops and let them cook along with the potatos. When the potatos are ready pour them and the greens into a colander for a good draining. You don't want your filling to end up too wet.
  5. Pour the potatos and greens in a large bowl and add the cheese, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. You could also add a teaspoon of salt at this point, but for me, the cheese already has plenty.
  6. Cut your dough in half and roll out each half at a time. Roll your dough out to about 3/8ths of inch in thickness. You want it thin but not so thin it tears easily. Take a 4 inch biscuit cutter and cut out circles.
  7. Have a small bowl of water on hand. You will want to make a thin line of water around the outside of your dough circles. This is the glue that seals the pierogis together.
  8. Fill half of the dough circle with about one tablespoon of filling. Run a wet finger on the outside of the dough and then fold the empty side of the circle slightly, stretching it over the filling to meet the other side of your circle. Use your fingers to crimp the half circle closed. Make sure its sealed well; you don't want your filling floating all around your boiling water.
  9. Do this until you have used all the dough and filling. If you have too much filling, you can make cakes with the biscuit cutter you were using on a cookie tray and freeze them for a sauted breakfast treat. Think potato pancake!
  10. Start a large pot with water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add your pierogis and boil gently for about 5-7 minutes. I served mine with carmelized onions that I finished off with balsamic vinegar. I served this along with a grated carrot and beet salad. So good!

Spelt pierogis with cheese,potato and beet tops

I was fortunate enough as a kid to grow up with ethnic European grandparents on both sides of the family. Everyone cooked at home and everyone had something to teach me. These lessons now influence the cook I am today. I was also lucky enough to see my great-grandmother and grandmother make many savory ethnic dishes and pastries. I used to love to go over to Grandma's and see my great-grandmother elbow deep in flour. I knew I was going to be the lucky recipient of all that skill, culture and love. As I grew older, I also became aware of the nutrition (or lack thereof) of all these foods items that I grown to love. Although they were delicious and comforting, all that white flour and butter wasn't very figure friendly, nor healthy.

You don't need to be Eastern European to enjoy the taste of pierogis. Yes, you can buy them frozen at the grocery but the ingredients are not very healthy. Like a lot of things homemade, this recipe is a lot better for you and still tastes delicious. I have switched the white flour for spelt and added a lot less cheese along with some bonus greens to keep my guilt at bay. I think you will find them still very comforting and delicious. I also paired my pierogis with a New Holland Black Tulip craft beer. Oh so yummy!


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)