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Perogy-Stuffed Shells

written by Ashley Fehr

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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 shells

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Last updated on May 17, 2024

Garlic herb mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese stuffed inside a large pasta shell, and topped with creamy Béchamel sauce, more cheddar cheese and bacon before baking. An indulgent, make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for leftover mashed potatoes.

Don’t worry – there is not a full perogy stuffed inside each of those shells.

That would be over-indulgent.

I think we’ll nickname these Lazy Perogies. How does that sound?

red and white baking dish filled with perogy stuffed shells topped with bacon

Before we get any further, let me just insist that I’m going to spell perogy P-E-R-O-G-Y, and you can spell it pierogi, perogi, pierogy, pierógi, pyrohy, pirogi, pyrogie, or pyrogy if you so desire. (Thank you Wikipedia for that list

Just like you can go ahead and spell doughnut d-o-n-u-t.

Now I don’t wanna see any comments about how I spell PEROGY wrong. Mmmkay?

perogy stuffed shells in baking dish topped with bacon and green onions with potatoes in the background

I love perogies. The carbs, the mashed potatoes, the cheese, the carbs, the bacon… and to top things off, we usually serve perogies with Béchamel sauce or creamy gravy (it’s the Mennonite in me), you know, because, well – fat and cream.

For the longest time though we’ve switched things up and used a Béchamel instead, because it’s a little lighter and because we always have milk around, but we don’t always have cream.

I wasn’t actually going to top the shells with any sauce, but when I lined them up in the pan they just looked lonely, you know? Like something was missing.

Traditionally, stuffed shells would be topped with tomato sauce and cheese, but that doesn’t exactly fit.

If you’re one of those people who likes sour cream on perogies, you could try spreading a little of that underneath the cheese. Or if you want to make things really easy for yourself, you could use some store-bought Alfredo sauce. But the Béchamel is so easy to make, and you can use it with anything!

Enough about my obsession with carbs and spelling.

The reason we’re here is these Little Potatoes.

This is my third post as brand ambassador for The Little Potato Company and I’m just as stoked as ever. They’re just good potatoes, and every time I dream up some concoction to make and share with you I get more excited about them.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with just throwing some Little Potatoes on a pan, drizzling them with some canola oil, add a sprinkle of salt and roasting them in the oven, but I wanted to use this opportunity to show you some things that might not have crossed your mind before.

My Warm Maple Bacon Potato Salad and my Chicken Cordon Bleu Scalloped Potatoes recipes are also made with Creamer potatoes!

This time I used the Little Yellows, but almost any kind would be great!

It’s important to note that the Little Potatoes are grown to full maturity, so they’re not baby potatoes, and they’re also not genetically modified. They’re just the perfect, creamy, bite-sized potatoes with thin, delicate skin.

I don’t ever peel my potatoes (I mean, if you’re going to eat Perogy Stuffed Shells, you want all of the nutrients you can get), but with the Creamer potatoes there really is no need. It’s so thin and smooth, you won’t ever it notice it once they’re mashed.

close up of perogy stuffed shells in ceramic baking dish

You can flavor your mashed potatoes however you like, but I like to use chicken broth (it also cuts down on calories a little), garlic and herbs (this time I used basil pesto, but feel free to substitute some fresh or dried herbs of choice).

I didn’t stir any bacon into the mashed potatoes because I wanted to use a piping bag to get the potatoes into the shells (Best. Idea. Ever.). You could definitely mix some in if you want, just make sure you dice it up quite small.

Like I mentioned above, you can skip the Bechamel sauce and just use cheese and bacon, but know that the edges of your pasta will get a little crispier. Also feel free to substitute store-bought Alfredo sauce or go out on a limb and spread some sour cream on if that’s your thing.

This dish is perfect for making ahead! I made everything, cooled it down, lined them up in the pan, covered with plastic wrap and set in the fridge until I was ready to bake.

It’s also perfect for holiday leftovers! This would be a great way to make leftover mashed potatoes new again, and you could even stir some ham in if you’ve got it sitting in the fridge.

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Perogy-Stuffed Shells

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 1 vote
These Perogy Stuffed Shells are filled with creamy mashed potatoes and topped with bacon and cheese! A shortcut to big perogy flavour.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Cuisine American
Course Side Dish
Servings 16 shells
Calories 121cal

Ingredients

  • 16 large pasta shells cooked and cooled
  • .5 lb Little Yellow Potatoes
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth or milk
  • 1/4 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp basil pesto or substitute fresh or dried herbs of choice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
  • 2 slices bacon diced, cooked and crumbled
  • Green onions for garnish

Bechamel sauce:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • Salt to taste
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • If baking right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If making ahead, preheat the oven before you wish to bake it. Grease a 9×9” pan and set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve or quarter the potatoes (only to speed up cooking time) and add to the water (adding them before the water is boiling is fine). Cook 7-10 minutes, until tender. Drain.
  • Mash potatoes with chicken broth, garlic, and pesto. Salt to taste. Stir in ½ cup of cheese.
  • Place potatoes in a disposable piping bag or large Ziploc bag. Cut about a ½” wide opening in the end of the bag and pipe potatoes into the shells (this is the easiest way – feel free to also spoon it in). Place potato stuffed shells in prepared pan. *To make ahead, cover now and refrigerate. Refrigerate all of your garnishes as well.
  • Before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare Béchamel sauce: In a large pot (it can be the same one you used for the potatoes), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened. Season with salt as desired.
  • Remove pan from the fridge. Drizzle shells with Béchamel sauce, sprinkle with cheese and bacon and bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Broil 1-2 minutes if desired. Sprinkle with green onions.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 121cal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 119mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 2.8mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

    • Ashley says

      Hi Stephanie! I would guess maybe 3-4 cups? You can always put a little more or a little less potato in the shell, so it’s hard to say, but I think that would be enough!

      Reply

  2. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says

    Oooooooh my. I love, love, love these. My Polish grandma makes the best pierogis ever and she once taught me but it’s SO time consuming that I never made them again. I love these shells– so much easier and all the same great flavor. Definitely need to try these!

    Reply

  3. Sneha says

    I’m never one to say no to carbs and cheese. These shells look too yummy…such a good dinner. I love perogys and the idea of stuffing them into some pasta shells for dinner sounds so so good!.. 🙂

    Reply

  6. Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says

    I don’t know if I have been living under a rock or what but I have never had a perogy and I think it needs to change because these look sooooooo good Ashley!
    Pinned!
    I love the Little Potato Company!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      I can’t believe how many people have said that! Maybe I’ve eaten too many perogies in my day…. Lol.

      Reply

      • Ania says

        Interesting recipe that I’ll try; especially since making homemade pierogi in my family is common because we’re Polish. Definitely a quicker meal to make for dinner.

        One thing that probably annoys Grammar-Nazi Slavic’s like myself though, you mentioned spelling pierogi different ways (thanks to Wikipedia) but pierogi is already the plural form. “Pierog” is the singular form and saying pierogies, perogys, perogies…etc, is like saying fishes, mices, geeeses, noodles’es, etc. I’m not sure why but no one corrects this and it’s frustrating. Just passing some information from one human to another.

  9. marcie says

    I’ve never had a perogy — there, I said it. This looks like an incredible way to start, and looks like comfort food at it’s finest!

    Reply

  10. Michelle { A Latte Food } says

    Okay, so I’m totally ashamed to admit this, but, I have never had a perogy. So, I think these will be the perfect introduction to them, because potato, bacon, and cheese (among other things like cream and carbs) are my life. Love!

    Reply

  11. Nora @ Savory Nothings says

    Uhm Ashley, can I just say this… You spelled pierogis wrong. And donuts. 😀

    So, about these stuffed shells… They look amazing! Such pure comfort food – can I come round for dinner please? 🙂

    Reply

  12. Stacey @ Bake Eat Repeat says

    I think that’s comfort food at it’s finest right there! And I liked your perogy spelling rant – I spell it the same way as you do though – I didn’t realize there were so many different spellings! These shells are so creative Ashley, I love it!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      Thanks Stacey! Haha, it came out of my last “perogy inspired” dish, where I had a few people comment on my incorrect spelling… 🙂

      Reply

  20. Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says

    Oh wow- this is such an awesome dish! So creative with the shells! I don’t care how you spell it – as long as I can eat it 🙂

    Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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