Lent Recipe: Pierogies with Asparagus

Alot of my friends are celebrating Lent by giving up red meat and chicken, especially on Fridays.  While my family doesn't do this, we do like to eat new foods during this time, and we try to pass along our successes to our friends and family who might appreciate it.

This week, we tried something completely new to our family: pierogies!  While not completely a "from scratch" dish, the results of a few basic ingredients were very well received by the Knerl family.

The ingredients (and directions) for this dish are really, really simple...

All you need is a bag of pre-made frozen pierogies, a bunch of asparagus, a white onion, and a little butter or oil for sauteing.

To begin, heat up your skillet or saute pan with a little oil or butter.  Get it really hot and add the onions (sliced thinly) and the asparagus (cut into small pieces).  Cook until the onion is soft but not caramelized.  (If you find that the asparagus is still too tough for your liking, even after the onion is done, put a lid over the mixture for an additional 3-4 minutes and allow it to soften a bit.)

Remove the veggies from the pan and place into a dish.  Add a little additional butter or oil to the pan again, and add the frozen pierogies.  Do not place any more in the pan than what will cover in a single layer.  Saute the pierogies for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until slightly golden brown and heated through.

Now, you can add the veggies back in and warm through, stirring constantly.  When everything is nice and hot, you can serve!  (You may choose to add a little salt and pepper during the final stir.)

My family loved this dish.  We had never eaten pierogies before, but we wanted to try a more filling dish for Lent that was meatless, but not without substance.  The mashed potatoes filling was very satisfying, and the veggies gave the dish good flavor!

What are your favorite dishes to eat during Lent? Do you go completely meatless?