Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits.

My homemade Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits are the perfect meal to make with family and friends. Simple sweet potato-filled Pierogi dumplings mixed with cheddar cheese and tossed in a nutty, buttery pan sauce. Then topped with crispy homemade bacon bits. Every Pierogi is cheesy, buttery, full of creamy sweet potatoes, layered with delicious sauce, and topped with salty crisp bacon. These are especially delicious on cold winter nights.

Yes, I love love love pierogi, and at this point probably have too many potato pierogi recipes on this site. But while I’ve always loved classic potato pierogi, I didn’t always love sweet potato pierogi.

For the longest time, I thought about swapping sweet potatoes in place of potatoes, but the idea just never sat well with me. I love a good potato pierogi too much. But finally, when working on the HBH Every Day book, I made my first sweet potato pierogi. I loved the dish so much that it became the cover recipe. And now I LOVE using sweet potatoes as my pierogi filling.

The idea for these came in a funny way. My dad and I were randomly talking about eating potato skins when my brothers and I were growing up. He’d often make cheesy potato skins and top them with those bacon bits that came in a shaker jar from the store.

Scary to think we used to eat that stuff!! Especially when homemade bacon bits are so easy!

Regardless, I was saying how much I LOVED his potatoes skins. We both agreed, the bacon bits combined with the cheddar cheese were the secret. So when I was brainstorming this recipe, I pretty much knew that cheddar cheese and bacon bits had to be a big part.

I had so many sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving, so pierogi with bacon bits just made sense.

Here are details

Start with the dough. It’s your basic, flour, egg, salt, combo, but what’s unique about most pierogi recipes is the use of sour cream in the dough. The sour cream keeps the dough moist and adds the slightest tang. I always use plain greek yogurt instead, which works perfectly. However, you can certainly use an equal amount of sour cream if you prefer.

Next, the filling – cheesy, creamy, buttery sweet potatoes, simple as that. Don’t mess with it, so good.

You can make the potatoes by baking them in the oven, or you can use the instant pot. I prefer to use the instant pot. It’s the easiest, quickest way to make a mashed potato.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out, cut it, and stuff it with the sweet potatoes. I line them all up on a baking sheet as I work. From here, you’ll boil them off just like you would ravioli or any other pasta.

You can also make these in bulk over the weekend, then flash freeze them for another time. They make for a fun and easy lunch or dinner any day of the week. Simply take the frozen pierogi and drop them in boiling water. They take just minutes to cook.

Last up are the bacon and sauce. Crisp the bacon up in a skillet and finely chop. Add butter, rosemary, and chili flakes. Then toss the pierogi in the sauce.

I like to top the pierogi with extra cheddar, then the bacon bits, and a small dollop of yogurt. So yummy. We could not love these more! The sweet potatoes with the bacon are such a great combination!

Looking for other winter dinners? Here are some favorites:

Crockpot Creamy Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala

Sheet Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon

Folded Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme

Lastly, if you make these Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

@halfbakedharvest

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♬ Everybody’s Talkin’ – Harry Nilsson