These simplified perogy stuffed pasta shells have all the delicious flavor of homemade perogy but without the fuss of making dough! So, when you feel like having perogies but don’t have the time to make them from scratch and don’t have any left in the freezer, these stuffed perogy shells are a great shortcut.
Use the same potato and cheese filling that you use to make homemade perogies, then fill pasta shells with it instead of making pasta dough.
For the perfect finishing touch, top them with onions that have been sautéed in butter. After they come out of the oven garnish the ‘perogies’ with a bit more chopped bacon and green onion. Of course, don’t forget the sour cream (and sausage)!
Perogy dough and pasta dough differ in a few ways but in the name of convenience give pasta shells a try!
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SHELLS
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- 680 gm (1 1/2 LBS) potatoes, peeled & cut into 1 1/2 - 2 -inch pieces About 907 gm (2 LBS) before peeling.
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 6 slices bacon, cooked & chopped
- 4 Tbsp butter,
- 2 cups onions, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 green onion, sliced PLUS more for garnish
- 112 gm extra sharp cheddar cheese (yellow or white)
- salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Place the potatoes in a medium pot & cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, add salt to taste & cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- In another pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta shells according to the package directions. When finished cooking, drain the pasta shells then spread them out on a large baking sheet or tray & allow to cool.
- In a skillet, (or the microwave) cook bacon until done but not real crisp. Drain on paper towels & chop fairly small. Set aside. Wipe out skillet then melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions & sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 5 minutes; turn off the heat & set aside.
- Chop green onion & grate cheese. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them & return them to the hot pot; let them sit for a few minutes ( with heat off) to allow the excess moisture to evaporate out.
- Place the potatoes in a food processor & add the grated cheese to the potatoes; mash until they are well-combined & smooth. Remove from processor & add bacon, green onion, salt and pepper, combining well by hand. Set aside to cool slightly for a few minutes. Make sure your potato/cheese mixture is well-seasoned with salt & pepper. It shouldn't be salty, just really flavorful.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Evenly fill the pasta shells with the potato/cheese mixture; place the shells in the prepared baking dish, filling side up. Spoon the onion & butter mixture evenly over the stuffed shells.
- Bake, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or just until heated through. I placed the covered pan of shells over another pan with a small amount of water in it (like a bain marie) to prevent the shells from becoming hard since they do not have a sauce to cook in.
- Remove from oven & garnish with more green onion. Serve with sour cream if you wish.