This One Skillet Kielbasa Sausage and Pierogies is an easy dinner that only requires 5 minutes of prep for a quick weeknight option! It's full of flavorful sausage, cheese filled pierogies and green beans.
I stood in front of my refrigerator, doors wide open, staring blankly at the contents inside...just willing a ready-made meal to jump out and grab me. Save for some eggs, milk, tired grapes, and a few stalks of celery, those shelves looked pretty darn bare.
But the kielbasa! Weeks earlier I had picked up some turkey kielbasa sausage when I saw it on sale at the grocery store, and then promptly shoved it in the drawer with our lunch meat and forgot about it.
I pulled out that kielbasa and I instantly knew that it was going to form the basis for our dinner that evening -- no last-minute runs to the grocery store necessary! With a box of pierogies, some diced onion, and a bag of cut green beans from the freezer, dinner was practically done!
What Is Kielbasa Sausage?
Kielbasa is a sausage from polish that's usually flavored with garlic and caraway. The difference between Kielbasa and smoked sausage is that the kielbasa is not usually smoked and has a much more powerful garlic flavor.
It's super delicious and can be used in many dishes from simple hotdog buns to chopped up in pasta or one pan skillets like this meal here.
Tips For Making This One Skillet Kielbasa Sausage
- Use frozen pierogies for this, there's no need to thaw them beforehand
- Regular smoked sausage can be used in place of Kielbasa
- I used turkey Kielbasa but any will do
- Don't re-freeze this since the pierogies were previously frozen and thawed
With just 5 minutes of prep, you can have an entire meal that cooks in one skillet -- making clean up a breeze!
And before you run off and assume that your kids won't enjoy kielbasa, just WAIT. Here's a tip from a mom who's been there: don't actually tell the little ones what they're eating.
You don't have to lie, but when I served this meal for the first time my kids looked at their plates and thought that they had seriously lucked out...HOTDOGS and RAVIOLI for dinner! I just didn't correct them, and they happily finished their meals while reveling in their good fortune. I suppose a last-minute dinner from a bare refrigerator isn't such a bad thing after all!
More Recipes Using Sausage;
- Hawaiian Kielbasa Kabobs
- Sheet Pan Italian Sausages with Potatoes
- Foil Pack Sausage and Peppers
- Country Comfort Sausage Casserole
One Skillet Kielbasa Sausage and Pierogies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 13 ounces fully-cooked Kielbasa turkey sausage sliced into rounds
- 1 16 ounce package frozen cheese pierogies (there’s no need to thaw these in advance)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 10 ounces frozen cut green beans there’s no need to thaw these in advance
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Saute sausage, pierogies, and onion in oil until golden brown and heated through (about 7-8 minutes per side). During the final 5-7 minutes of cooking, add green beans to the skillet and cook until tender.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Now this is the kind of meal that my husband would devour in no time! He loves pierogies, and I do too, so I've got to try this. Love that it's made in one skillet, too!
Blair
Thanks, Gayle! It's definitely a great man (and kid)-friendly meal!
Natalie | Natalie's Food & Health
This sounds like perfect dinner for busy weekdays - easy and healthy. My hubby is a huge sausage fan. He will love this. I'll save this recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Blair
Thank you, Natalie! I'm so glad that you stopped by, and I hope you'll give it a try!
Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl
My Gma used to make kielbasa all the time, and I always loved it! Now I haven't had it in quite a few years, but it was always a regular thing in the house. I LOVE the idea of it with pierogies! I usually do sausage and onions with pierogies, but what a fabulous change-up! You've inspired me to grab a package of kielbasa, it's been too long!
Blair
Thanks, Sarah! For some reason kielbasa (and sausage in general) + pierogies always fall off my radar and I forget to make them. That's unfortunate, because they taste great and they're so easy. I'm bringing them back! 🙂
Ami@NaiveCookCooks
This is such a genius meal Blair! I love the fact that it takes just one skillet and is so easy! I love easy meals like these!
Blair
Thank you so much, Ami! You can never go wrong with quick and easy one-skillet meals, right?!
Kristy from Southern In Law
This looks like serious comfort food! I've never tried pierogies before!
Blair
Oh, I hope you'll try them. They're basically like ravioli! So good...
Ruwani
I too open the refrigerator and stare thinking what I should make for dinner 🙂 It always helps, when your freezer is stocked . I would say this is an easy peasy dinner 😉 Btw love what the kids said "hot dogs and ravioli" !
Blair
Thanks so much, Ruwani! Hope you're having a great weekend!
Ann
I just made this today. My husband and I have never eaten Pierogies, but my sister said that they are great, so I picked your recipe. I have to say that we both are now lovers of Pierogies!
Thanks so much for a simple recipe that introduced us to something new.
Blair
That's so great, Ann! I'm glad that you found a new ingredient to add to your rotation! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Ashley
I have cheese raviolis in the freezer and was wondering if those would work in this just as well as the Pierogies do. I have made this dish several times (it’s a family favorite) so I’m hoping it would work! Thanks!
Blair
Hi, Ashley! I honestly haven't tried the recipe with ravioli, so I'm not sure. I know that you can pan-fry ravioli, so it should work fine -- the cooking time might just be different. Keep an eye on them and let me know if you give it a shot! 🙂
Lisa
Maybe it was my pan, but the pierogie stuck to the bottom and broke apart. They ended up being greasy and mushy. It was terrible! I loved the concept, but was very disappointed with the outcome...tasteless and terrible texture! ????
Kathleen
I added a little honey mustard dressing on it at the very end. Yum!!!
Blair
Sounds perfect. Thanks, Kathleen!