REVIEW: Mrs. T’s Potato & Cheddar Pierogies

I guess this solves the mystery of what happened to Clubber Lang after Rocky III − he retired and decided to use the money he won prizefighting to start a pierogi company for his wife. But this opens another line of questioning: Why was he always so damn pissed off? These things are delicious and easy to make; a great quick lunch just as advertised on the back of the box.

Oh well, Mr. T’s misfortune is our gain. I’ve never had pierogies before and can’t imagine that these things are anything close to authentic, but I love the idea of eating two starches at once. The ability to chew mashed potatoes sounds like something out of my dreams. Pierogies feel like something that Willy Wonka would invent if he wasn’t so obsessed with killing kids addicted to sweets. And as it turns out, cheesy mashed potatoes wrapped like ravioli in a sturdy pasta shell is just as tasty as I would have imagined.

As with almost any frozen food, I decided to cook it “ghetto style.” They say to sauté it for eight minutes, but who’s got that kind of time to spare? I microwaved them for a minute and then threw them in a pan with some margarine, oil, and onions until slightly browned. Gently lay them on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of sour cream and you have yourself a plate of food that you’d slap your mama for, all for about a buck and in under four minutes. Take that, Sandra Lee!

After a micro-sauté, the skin is nice and chewy with some bits of the shell becoming crispy. The contrast in textures is almost crack-like in addictiveness and you’ll probably eat more than the recommended serving size. Have I mentioned that these are like chewing on cheesy mashed potatoes dipped in sour cream? But don’t feel bad − the box says that it’s low on fat! Though I’m left to wonder if they take the copious amount of margarine, olive oil, and sour cream into account…

(Nutritional Facts – 3 pierogies -170 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 5 mg of cholesterol, 510mg sodium, 32 grams of carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 1 gram of sugar, 6 grams of protein, 2% Vitamin A, 10% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, and 8% Iron)

Item: Mrs. T’s Potato & Cheddar Pierogies
Price: $2.19
Size: 16 ounces
Purchased at: Stater Bros.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Chewing on mashed potatoes. Ability to dip said mashed potatoes into various creams and sauces. Skin is chewy and crispy. You can make a quick and cheap meal from these things.
Cons: Mashed potatoes and cheese are obviously of the flake and powder variety, respectively. Eastern Europeans would probably shun these. You’ll almost certainly eat too many. Mr. T’s anger issues in Rocky III.

31 thoughts to “REVIEW: Mrs. T’s Potato & Cheddar Pierogies”

  1. Wow. A starch in a starch. You should stick those in some bread and put it on top of a bed of pasta and make Atkins Diet folks jealous.

  2. I think I tried some of these once, but I attempted to cook them in a skillet and the results were not pretty. I’ll try the microwave next time. I pity da fool who tries to fry these!

  3. We used to buy these when I was a kid. I think we tended to just cook them in the skillet after they had thawed out. I always thought they were Polish comfort food.

  4. These are a staple in my house, and sometimes I just eat three of them for lunch. You most certainly can saute and get the edges all crispy. They are nom!!! (but “real” fresh ones are way better, so if you’re ever in an area where there’s a Polish restaurant, you MUST get some!)

  5. I’ve been eating these things since I was just a little tyke, sauteed with onions just the same.

    these shits are the dank

  6. I live in Cleveland, and we scoff at Mrs T…here we have elderly Polish women laboring daily to make any kind of fresh pierogi imaginable…sweet cheese, apple, bacon and potato, kraut, prune (believe it or not, they’re good)…etc.etc..and they’re for sale everywhere and THEY’RE DELICIOUS! And unbelievably enough, they’re lowfat as well. We have two main companies in addition to all of the churches and bakeries, “Janka’s” and “Sophie’s” which sells pre-cooked fresh pierogi so all you have to do is nuke them for a minute and you have the quickest, best meal. Sophie’s has a website you can order from, it’s

    http://polisheats.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=P&Category_Code=Pierogi

    These pierogis are mind-blowing

  7. We have been eating these for YEARS. Sauteed with sweet onions and either butter or olive oil. They are also pretty good boiled and served with marinara sauce if you want something to eat quickly. They make a few versions…the broccoli/cheddar one is yummy, too.

  8. Your descriptions made me hungry, though I don’t have any starch with starch to reach for. Sigh. 🙁

    Now how many times will Ace be mistaken for Reprobate mistaken for Marvo!? Let’s start a count.

  9. feh! I scoff at Mrs T! I like fresh with potato and sauerkraut.

    We buy a local brand who I forget the name of….once in a while we gotta settle for Mrs T. but in a pinch.

    sometimes they are good if you melt cheese on the potatosauerkraut ones

  10. Another Clevelander here!

    I make my pierogies with sauteed sweet onions, kielbasa, and sauerkraut and then top them with a serious dollup of sour cream. Think starch on starch is good? Add sausage into the mix…

  11. Mmm pierogies!! My grandma makes them from scratch!
    I found saute-ing cut up bacon with the onions and butter makes it even better!!
    Store bought frozen ones are good too, we usually boil them, then pan fry them or bake them with the onions, butter, and bacon.

  12. Real polish pierogies are entirely too time-consuming (so when we make them, we make about 500 at a time and it’s a weekend project). So when the freezer is fresh out, Mrs. T’s are our standbys. Definitely not as good as fresh (real!) but definitely edible. In fact, I have some in the freezer right now that I might have for lunch. (Cooking tip: to saute right from the freezer, I put a pat of butter in the pan to melt, then add a few tablespoons of water and put the lid on. This steams the pierogies. In about four minutes, take the cover off and let the water evaporate, and then the butter will brown the rest.)

    1. I nuke em for a minute then saute them. Cuts cooking time in half? (2 minutes instead of 4?) Taste good either way.

  13. I love these things! To explain what a pierogie was to my boyfriend I said “Its like a ravioli, but with potato inside”- and he instantly had to try one.

    I am a college student who eats these during finals because they taste pretty good just plain out of the microwave. And even though I just ate lunch, I am now hungry.

  14. I love these things! To explain what a pierogie was to my boyfriend I said “Its like a ravioli, but with potato inside”- and he instantly had to try one.

    I am a college student who eats these during finals because they taste pretty good just plain out of the microwave. And even though I just ate lunch, I am now hungry.

  15. Oh man, these are a step back a few years! My best friend’s family eats these things like no tomorrow, and nearly living at their house, so did I. I HIGHLY recommend them with some alfredo sauce.

  16. Glad to see everyone likes em! And yes, I would like to make fresh ones to see how they compare. Unfortunately, I barely have the energy to tie my own shoes let alone roll out and crimp a few dozen pierogies.

  17. Been eating these for years. I love Mrs. T and her delicious treats. They’re great both sauteed with onions and sour cream, as well as boiled with marinara as someone above suggested.

  18. Cleveland born and bred, yo! Near Parma! Parma Pierogies – the Pierogy of choice of President Bill Clinton!

    I’ve never had Parma Pierogies (I heard they are closed), and I don’t know anyone that has, either. Can’t be that great if people don’t make a pilgrimage to Parma for them. And we know that President Clinton would probably eat a dog turd if we served it in a Big Mac box, so should we trust his tastes?

    We ate Mrs. T’s when the store was out of the fresh ones – I don’t remember the brand, but they were delish! The Mrs. T’s were pretty good. I liked the mini ones. Fried with butter and onions – yum yum! I haven’t had a good dish of pierogies in a few years – I’m not in Cleveland anymore so it looks like I’ll be hitting up the Mrs. T’s.

  19. The Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball team (outside St. Louis) serves these at their ballpark. A dish of these and a cold beer- yum!

  20. If you can find a nice polish woman to make these homemade well thats the best but mrs ts will do in a pinch
    grill with butter and onions and caraway seed

  21. Potato and cheese together? Sign me up!

    Plus, it sounds fancy. “No, I’m having pierogies for dinner,” instead of “beef Ramen with cut up hot dogs.”

  22. I usually boil these as to save from oil, etc.. I eat them with butter, salt, and pepper. You need to try the cheese, potato, and broccoli- they’re amazing!

  23. Not as good as real pierogi but it will suffice. Best way (my opinion) is to boil them and then pan fry them in some butter and oil. Way my mom always did it and her mom as well.

  24. The last way that is mentioned is how I make them too! I actually had these just the other night and make them often. They really are low in fat!
    The ones with broccoli are really good too!

  25. mmm I love these, but the potato and onion ones, dipped in sour cream, delicious.

    real pierogies with farmers cheese, well, that’s just kind of gross.

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