Chili Cheese Loaded Pierogis makes for some delicious comfort food! Made with homemade stovetop chili with seasoned beef, onions, tomatoes, mustard and sweet and smoky added flavours spooned overtop seared cheddar, potato and chive pierogis finished with a dollop of sour cream, chives, shredded cheese and avocado for a refreshing presentation.

Cold days always has me wanting warm comfort food. I always love a good bowl of homemade chili and today I’ve decided to present it a little bit differently by serving it over some pan fried pierogis. 

I am always most inspired by classic recipes that are familiar by making them my own and presenting them into something fun and different. Often that comes from combine two things I love into one awesome dish! The results are almost always delicious comfort food that is crave worthy. I’m taking some homemade pierogis that I had previously made and froze and loaded them with an easy stovetop chili. Grab the recipe here for the pierogis. If you don’t have time to make some or have a stash that’s ready to go in the freezer, some store bought pierogis will do just fine! Go with what is convenient for you. 

TO START

This recipe came about by making a big batch of chili so that’s were we are starting. I like to make mine in a Dutch oven over the stovetop, but I’ve also provided notes for the crockpot. Cook the onions until their nicely softened, next you’ll want to brown that meat and get it nicely seasoned with the dried spices and herbs and some salt and pepper. This is where I like to do all the seasoning, from there, break the beef into smaller chunks as it cooks to create some nice smaller pieces that are easier to eat. After the meat is mostly browned but not completely cooked through, add the tomato paste, and canned tomatoes, beef broth and to bump up the flavours, I like to add some liquid smoke, Worcestershire, honey, and mustard. These add a nice sweet and smoky dimension to the chili. Of course more spice can be added here if preferred like some chili flakes and jalapenos. The last step for the chili is to add the beans and let everything simmer on low for one hour to allow the meat to finish cooking and for all the flavours to develop and blend together. 

This chili recipe doesn’t call for a lot of beans because the chili is served overtop something else. I didn’t want the pierogis to get lost with all the “meatiness” of the chili. I am also planning on using this batch to make some chili cheese loaded fries and it would be great for chili dogs and of course on it’s own as a meal with some bread on the side. 

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Print Recipe

Chili Cheese Pierogis

Chili cheese loaded pierogis makes for some delicious comfort food! Made with homemade stovetop chili with seasoned beef, onions, tomatoes, mustard and sweet and smoky added flavours spooned overtop seared cheddar, potato and chive pierogis finished with a dollop of sour cream, chives, shredded cheese and avocado for a refreshing presentation.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Mains

Servings: 4 -6

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• Chili:
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 TBS smoked paprika
• 1 TBS chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 stems fresh thyme
• salt and pepper
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 1 14 oz can san Marzano tomatoes crushed
• 1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS sweet mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 14 oz can kidney beans rinsed and drained
• 2 bay leaves
• store bought or homemade pierogis see notes
• to serve: sour cream shredded cheese, chopped chives, avocado

Instructions

• To make the chili: In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Cook the onions until softened and translucent for 3 minutes.
• Add the ground beef, season with spices, minced garlic and salt and pepper. Break into smaller bits as it cooks, cooking until just browned.
• Once the beef is browned, add the tomato paste and allow to cook 30 minutes mixed into the beef. add the tomatoes and beef broth, and bring to a gentle boil. Once boiling, add the beans, liquid smoke, mustard, honey, and the beans. Reduce to low, top with bay leaves and fresh herbs if using. Cover and cook for 1 hour on low. After 1 hour, if the chili is too liquid, add 1 TBS of cornstarch to thicken.
• Blanch the pierogis in boiling water until they float to the top. Transfer the pierogis into a large frying pan with some melted butter. Sear over medium heat until golden brown on both sides for about 3 minutes a side.
• To serve: spread 5-6 pierogis on the bottom of a plate, ladle overtop 1/2 serving of chili, top with sour cream, shredded cheese, chives and avocado. Enjoy!

Notes

*for homemade pierogis check out our previous recipe.
*for crockpot chili follow steps 1-2, transfer into the crockpot and simply add all the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.