Peasant-Style Siberian Pierogies

When Chris and I lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, one of our favorite restaurants was a place called Moscow on the Hill (also the only Russian restaurant in St. Paul). They serve a dish called Siberian Pelmeni Dumplings (Peasant Style), which are beef-and-pork filled dumplings in a mushroom and cheese cream sauce. They are the ultimate in comfort food - creamy, cheesy, savory, and rich. I'm also half Polish, so they taste kind of like something my grandmother would make.

I've been making a lightened-up non-vegan version of this dish since 2007, after we first ate at Moscow on the Hill. If you are a vegetarian, it is still friendly to you. But I figured out how to make it vegan. It is so easy and quick when you've had a long day and don't want to spend a lot of "hands-on" time in the kitchen.

Peasant-Style Siberian Pierogies

Serves 6

8 WW pts/serving

3 c. button mushrooms, roughly chopped

One (8-oz) container non-dairy sour cream (such as Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon)

1 Tbsp cooking sherry

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried sage

1 pkg frozen potato pierogies (such as Mrs. T's)*

1 c. cheddar-style veggie cheese*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and saute for 1-2 minutes until nicely browned. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Lower heat to medium and add sour cream mixture to mushrooms. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until just slightly thickened.

Coat a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Place frozen pierogies in baking dish (DO NOT cook or defrost them!). Top with mushroom sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese melted.

* If non-vegan, can use potato-and-cheese pierogies and real cheddar cheese.