Lazy Man's Pierogi Recipe

I have tried this recipe multiple times and it always turns out delicious. I prefer using the entire pound of bacon and canned mushrooms instead of fresh ones, and the result is consistently fantastic.

I decided to enhance the recipe by using double the amount of mushrooms (I prefer canned) and sauerkraut, and included milk in the soup mix. Before cooking the onions, I made sure to drain most of the grease. I also substituted with tri-colored veggie rotelle pasta. Coincidentally, I noticed another reviewer was also from Buffalo, which is where I'm located too. I had been longing for this dish, and tonight was the perfect opportunity to make it!

This dish is absolutely fantastic! However, I made a few tweaks to suit my taste. Instead of using rotini, I went with sea shell pasta. I sautéed the onion in half a stick of butter before adding the bacon (I opted for turkey bacon, and it turned out delicious). I also included the sauerkraut straight from the jar, along with all its juices, as it adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the dish. I incorporated about 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and decided to skip the mushrooms entirely. While I enjoy mushrooms, I felt they didn't quite fit in this dish, especially since there are a few in the soup already. To elevate the flavors even more, I mixed in a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, which truly took it to the next level! Due to the rich consistency of the combined ingredients, I found it necessary to add a splash or two of milk to get the right consistency.

My grandmother prepared a version of this dish with some modifications - she opted for egg noodles instead of the usual, omitted butter in favor of bacon drippings for richness and flavor, and skipped the baking step to save time. She also enhanced the dish with garlic powder for an extra kick. I've made it on two occasions now. The first time, I rinsed the sauerkraut, but I found that not rinsing it resulted in a significantly better flavor. The difference was remarkable!

Crack casserole - let's just be real. This dish may not win any beauty contests, but it sure tastes like a slice of heaven. I made a few tweaks to ramp up the flavor: - Opted for 1lb of fresh button mushrooms over canned ones (canned? No thanks!) - Skipped straining the sauerkraut to keep that extra tangy kick, including all the marinade. - Sauteed the mushrooms and onions in bacon fat instead of the suggested butter (why add more fat unnecessarily?) - Went all in with a full 1lb of bacon. Delicious! This has quickly become a favorite of mine. It's a breeze to make and can easily be adjusted with lower-fat alternatives (such as omitting bacon fat, using low-fat or fat-free mushroom soup, and so on).

I really enjoyed this recipe, but I recommend using fresh mushrooms for the best flavor. I used portobellos and it turned out great! To make it vegetarian, I skipped the bacon and added shredded cheddar instead. It ended up tasting like a delicious potato cheese dish.

Easy and delicious alternative to traditional green bean casserole using cream of mushroom soup. I substituted bacon with smoked Polish sausage for a twist. Perfect comfort food for chilly winters in Buffalo!

Next time, I will be sure not to drain the sauerkraut completely as it ended up too dry.

I adjusted this recipe by halving the ingredients, reducing the bacon amount (based on what I had available), and including half a cup of sour cream. The resulting dish was absolutely delicious.