Name: Niemojki Lentil Pierogi (Pierogi niemojskie)
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 245 min
Yield: 40 dumplings, 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 180 g dried green lentils, rinsed and soaked; 220 g waxy potato, peeled and coarsely grated; 120 g yellow onion, finely diced; 15 ml neutral oil; 4 g fine salt; 1 g ground black pepper; 2 g dried marjoram, rubbed between the palms; 1 g dried oregano, rubbed between the palms; 400 g plain wheat flour; 200 ml hot water, cooled until warm; 30 ml lukewarm water at 35–38 °C, for the yeast; 5 g active dry yeast; 12 ml neutral oil; 4 g fine salt; 60 g baby spinach, washed, wilted, squeezed dry and finely chopped; 60 g yellow onion, thinly sliced; 15 ml neutral oil; 12 g salt for the dumpling water; most is discarded

Small spinach-flecked pierogi with ruffled edges, filled with lentils and potato and served with golden fried onion; one is cut open to show the filling.

Yield 40 dumplings, 4 servings

Serving 10 dumplings with browned onion

Diet vegetarian; contains wheat gluten

Prep 60 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Niemojki Lentil Pierogi (Pierogi niemojskie)

Introduction: These small Mazovian dumplings have spinach-flecked yeast dough, a savoury green-lentil and potato filling, a ruffled seam and a topping of golden fried onion.

Pierogi niemojskie come from Niemojki in eastern Mazowieckie, in the ethnographic area of southern Podlasie. Their distinctive dough is dotted with chopped greens, while the filling brings together lentils, grated potato and onion.

The documented local method seasons the filling with marjoram and oregano, folds fresh nettle, lambsquarters or spinach into the dough, and finishes each dumpling with a frilled edge. This measured home version uses baby spinach and green lentils, forms 40 small pierogi and serves them with browned onion.

Soak the lentils in the refrigerator, cook them until tender but intact, and cool the filling before shaping. Keep the rounds small and seal the edges firmly; cook the pierogi in batches so they have room to float freely.

Tips

Soak lentils in the refrigerator, not on the counter, and drain before cooking.
Simmer lentils until tender but intact; undercooked lentils make the filling grainy.
Cook the grated potato until fully tender before cooling the filling.
Squeeze wilted spinach dry so it adds green flecks without making the dough sticky.
Let the dough cool to warm, not hot, before adding yeast so the yeast remains active.
Cool the filling completely before shaping, and keep unused filling chilled.
Boil a test dumpling first; if it opens, moisten and press the seams more firmly.

Ingredients

Lentil-potato filling

180 g dried green lentils, rinsed and soaked
220 g waxy potato, peeled and coarsely grated
120 g yellow onion, finely diced
15 ml neutral oil
4 g fine salt
1 g ground black pepper
2 g dried marjoram, rubbed between the palms
1 g dried oregano, rubbed between the palms

Spinach yeast dough

400 g plain wheat flour
200 ml hot water, cooled until warm
30 ml lukewarm water at 35–38 °C, for the yeast
5 g active dry yeast
12 ml neutral oil
4 g fine salt
60 g baby spinach, washed, wilted, squeezed dry and finely chopped

Browned-onion topping

60 g yellow onion, thinly sliced
15 ml neutral oil

For boiling

12 g salt for the dumpling water; most is discarded

Method

Directions

Soak and cook the lentils.Rinse the lentils and cover with cold water in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Drain, put in a pot and cover with fresh water by about 4 cm. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15–20 minutes until tender but intact. Drain well, cool and pulse or mince coarsely.
Make and cool the filling.Heat 15 ml oil in a wide skillet. Cook the diced onion over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until translucent. Add grated potato and minced lentils; cook 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the potato is fully tender. Season with salt, pepper, marjoram and oregano. Spread on a tray and cool completely.
Mix the dough.Stir the hot water into about half the flour and 4 g salt with a wooden spoon. Cool until just warm. Dissolve the yeast in 30 ml lukewarm water, then add it with 12 ml oil and the remaining flour. Knead about 5 minutes until smooth. Knead in the spinach last. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Brown the topping onion.Heat 15 ml oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and cook 8–12 minutes, stirring, until soft and evenly golden. Set aside.
Fill and shape.Roll the dough 2–3 mm thick and cut 7–8 cm rounds. Put 18–20 g cooled filling in the centre of each. Lightly moisten the edge with water, fold over and press firmly to seal; pinch a small ruffle along the seam. Arrange on a lightly floured tray without stacking.
Boil and serve.Bring a large pot of salted water to a steady boil. Cook pierogi in batches, stirring gently once so they do not stick. When they float, cook another 2–3 minutes until the dough is tender and fully cooked. Lift out with a slotted spoon and serve hot with the browned onion.

Nutrition and allergens

Energyabout 680 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 24 g
Fatabout 12 g
Saturated fatabout 1 g
Carbohydrateabout 120 g
Sugarsabout 4 g
Fibreabout 10 g

Contains wheat (gluten). Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw flour. Cool filling promptly, keep it chilled if preparation pauses, and refrigerate cooked pierogi within 2 hours.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving and storage: The documented dough may use fresh nettle or lambsquarters instead of spinach. Use only correctly identified, food-safe greens if choosing a foraged variation; spinach is the straightforward option here. Keep the traditional lentil-potato filling and serve the dumplings with browned onion. Cool the filling promptly; refrigerate it if it is not cool within 2 hours or whenever preparation pauses, and shape the pierogi once the filling is cold.

Serving and storage: Refrigerate cooked pierogi within 2 hours in a covered shallow container at 4 °C or colder. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat thoroughly to 74 °C / 165 °F in a covered skillet with a splash of water or in the microwave. Uncooked shaped pierogi can be frozen in a single layer, then packed airtight; boil from frozen until hot throughout and the dough is fully cooked.

Contains wheat (gluten). Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw flour. Cool filling promptly, keep it chilled if preparation pauses, and refrigerate cooked pierogi within 2 hours.

Sodium: about 850 mg

Approximate per serving of ten dumplings with onion; sodium varies with salt absorbed from cooking water and retained oil. Not laboratory analysis.

Niemojki Lentil Pierogi (Pierogi niemojskie)

Tips

Ingredients

Lentil-potato filling

Spinach yeast dough

Browned-onion topping

For boiling

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

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