Keto Cheese Pierogi
Put a little love into your dinner recipe and make these ultimate Keto cheese pierogi dumplings. A mashed “potato” filling is made with fresh cauliflower mixed with several ingredients to taste just like a proper cheese and potato filling. Once the filling is cooled, you spoon it into a Keto dough that is very similar to traditional pierogi dough. Just a few small changes are made to make this a part of a hot low-carb meal. You’ll want to avoid boiling these pierogi, but you can fry them up in a pan with butter! You may notice there is quite a lot of prep time needed to make the Keto pierogi. You can break this recipe up into sections and even make some of the recipe a day ahead so you’re not spending hours in the kitchen. Make a big batch of pierogi and freeze them in portions. This way, you can simply pull some pierogi from your freezer whenever you want to make them. Cooking the pierogi only takes 10-15 minutes.
How to Make It
Step 1
Make the mashed “potato” filling before you make the dough because it will need plenty of time to cool. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you cut raw cauliflower into very large, chunky pieces. Cut off and discard any thick pieces of core. Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and cook until the cauliflower is tender enough to pierce with a fork. Immediately drain the water and add the cooked cauliflower to a food processor.
Step 2
While the cauliflower is still warm, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, the first amount of ricotta cheese, and buttermilk powder to the food processor. Pulse the food processor until you have a smooth puree that looks like mashed potatoes. At your discretion, you may add any additional seasonings you would like in your pierogi filling. Transfer the pierogi filling to a clean container and store it in your refrigerator. The filling will need to cool until it’s time to fill the pierogi.
Step 3
While the filling is cooling, make the pierogi dough. Combine the paleo flour, salt, and xanthan gum in a large mixing bowl. If necessary, sift the paleo flour first. Use a spatula to mix the egg yolks and second amount of ricotta cheese into the dry ingredients to make a crumbly mixture. Next, soften the first amount of butter by fraising it on a clean surface or rubbing it between your fingers (do not microwave or melt!). Use your hand to mix the butter into the dough until you have a crumbly but wet dough, as pictured.
Step 4
Pour half the water listed into the dough. Knead the dough with your hands until it just comes together and the dough is free of any white or yellow streaks. You can use the remaining amount of water as needed if your dough is still a little dry. Transfer the finished dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a flattened ball or rectangle and tightly wrap the dough. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour. You may also make the dough and filling one day ahead so they may fully chill overnight.
Step 5
When you’re ready to make the pierogi, pull out the dough and roll it to a ¼” thickness. Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or a Silpat if you own one. Use a 78mm round cutter to cut out approximately 30 pieces of dough. You can achieve this in sections, and you can re-roll the dough as many times as needed. If the dough becomes too soft, place it back in the refrigerator to chill before continuing. Once the dough is cut, place about 1 teaspoon of cold cauliflower filling in the center of each piece of dough.
Step 6
Fold each dough circle in half over the filling to make the pierogi. Use a fork to seal the dough together. If any filling squeezes through any cracks in the dough, you can use your fingers to simply pinch the pierogi back together. Once all pierogi are made, you can keep them in your refrigerator to stay cold as you prepare to cook them. At this point, you may also freeze the pierogi to make at a later time.
Step 7
Melt 1 TB of the final amount of butter in a large pan over medium heat. When the butter is hot, place about 10 pierogi in the pan. Let the pierogi cook on one side for just 2-3 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Flip the pierogi over and let them cook in the butter an additional minute. Transfer the fried pierogi to a serving plate to cool. Continue with adding more butter to the pan and cooking about 10 pierogi at a time, adjusting the stove heat as necessary to avoid burning. Refer to the introduction paragraphs to learn what you can serve the pierogi with.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower, raw
12 oz
- Salt
0.25 teaspoon
- Black pepper
0.13 teaspoon
- Garlic powder
0.13 teaspoon
- Onion powder
0.13 teaspoon
- Ricotta cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoon
- Buttermilk, unprepared dry powder
0.75 teaspoon
- Paleo Baking Flour
3 cup
- Salt
0.25 teaspoon
- Baking Aids Xanthan Gum
0.75 tsp
- Raw egg, yolk
2 large
- Ricotta cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoon
- Butter, unsalted
3 tablespoon
- Water
2 tablespoon
- Butter, unsalted
3 tablespoon