Pierogies Au Gratin-Mrs. T's Pierogies Review

 I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Mrs. T’s Pierogies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Hey! What about that Super Bowl yesterday...I mean...it was....right? Yeeeah.

...I don't know what happened.

You know what I do know things about? TV shows. And movies. I've already made it clear that I'm super into the idea of my bachelorette party being a big slumber party where we watch movies. Really, if I'm hanging out with my friends, that's all I need. The rest is just details...well...except for the food. The food is like the most the 2nd most important part of a get together.

Whether I'm sitting down to watch Orange is the New Black (or whichever show) by myself, or with my buds, Mrs. T's Pierogies are always there for me.

Now, you know me. I'm not generally into eating frozen food. But-I AM NOT KIDDING-when I was approached to work with Mrs. T's...I already had 2 boxes in the freezer. For myself. They're my solution for when I need something quick for myself. Or, something still-pretty-quick-but-slightly-less-quick, for entertaining.

Such as pierogies au gratin.

But before we spiff em up, let me explain what Mrs. T's pierogies are all about, if you're not familiar. They're yummy whipped potatoes combined with additions (Mrs. T's has 11 varieties-including whole grain and mini kinds-so some of these additions include onions and cheddar) and then they're "gently folded" in a pasta shell. There are SO many different ways you can prepare the pierogies, and different ways you can use them! Honestly, I usually bake em and then serve with a little butter. Easy and delicious. However, if you wanna do something special, there are so many ways you can use 'em! I went on to Mrs. T's website and looked through the recipe ideas before stumbling upon the pierogies au gratin. I tweaked the recipe just a smidge and it turned out DELICIOUS-beautifully cheesey and just so comforting. Nothing not to like. It's like if macaroni and cheese and potatoes au gratin got together and had a baby. A delicious baby....that's not an actual baby. Just pierogies n cheese. Calm down. And also, check out Mrs. T's facebook and twitter pages while you're at it!

 Pierogies Au Gratin

Adapted from Mrs. T's Pierogies website

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) box Potato & Onion Pierogies 
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• dash of garlic powder
• dash of salt
• pepper, to taste
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (I used a mix of cheddar, colby, jack, and mozzarella)
• 1/4 cup dried seasoned breadcrumbs
• Optional-1 tbsp. fresh chopped chives or scallions

Preparation:

• Boil pierogies, according to package directions, for 5-7 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking/casserole dish (original recipe called for 12x8 dish) with non-stick cooking spray.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until little brown flecks form. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in flour. Gradually add milk, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 
• Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. 
• Whisk in cheese until smooth and fully melted.
• Toss finished pierogies with the cheese sauce and pour into the prepared dish. 
• Bake 20 minutes. Remove and increase temp. to broil. Sprinkle top of dish with breadcrumbs. Place under broiler for a couple minutes, until golden brown. If using, sprinkle with chives/scallions.
• Serve!

Underneath those breadcrumbs lies cheesy goodness.