6 Traditional Polish Dumplings and Noodles (Easy Recipes)

Polish cooking runs on dough. Soft potato dumplings with a dimple for the gravy, cheese dumplings with buttery breadcrumbs, tiny mushroom dumplings for the Christmas soup, and squares of pasta fried with cabbage. These are the six Polish dumplings and noodles I make at home, with the time each one takes so you can pick the right one for the day.

Some are a weekend project and some are on the table in forty minutes. Pick one and make it, and my guide to Polish food shows where each of them sits in the wider year.

1. Pierogi Ruskie (Potato and Cheese Pierogi)

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Pierogi ruskie have a soft hot-water dough around a filling of potato, farmer’s cheese and slowly softened onion, and they go to the table with butter and fried onions. Give them about two hours, because the recipe makes 60. Get the recipe.

2. Silesian Dumplings (Kluski Śląskie)

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Kluski śląskie are the soft, springy Silesian potato dumplings with a dimple in the middle that holds the gravy. They are mashed potato, potato starch and an egg, simmered gently and tossed in butter. I served mine with beef stroganoff. Get the recipe.

3. Kluski Leniwe (Lazy Dumplings)

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Kluski leniwe are soft cheese dumplings made with twáróg, eggs and flour, finished with buttery breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of sugar. They take forty minutes from start to plate. Get the recipe.

4. Knedle ze Śliwkami (Plum Dumplings)

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Knedle are a soft potato dough folded around a whole plum, simmered until they float and finished with melted butter and sugar. They are a late summer favourite, served as a sweet main or a warm dessert. Get the recipe.

5. Uszka (Mushroom Dumplings for Barszcz)

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Uszka are tiny mushroom dumplings for the Christmas beetroot soup. One batch makes about a hundred, and they freeze raw, which makes Christmas Eve easier. Get the recipe.

6. Łazanki (Polish Pasta with Cabbage and Sausage)

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Łazanki are small squares of Polish pasta tossed with sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, mushrooms and smoked kielbasa. It is a one-pan supper in 50 minutes, and my childhood favourite. Get the recipe.

FAQ

What is the difference between kluski śląskie and kluski leniwe?

Kluski śląskie are made from potato, with a dimple in the middle for gravy. Kluski leniwe are made from twáróg, the Polish curd cheese, with eggs and flour, and they are served with buttery breadcrumbs.

Which ones are sweet and which are savoury?

Knedle and kluski leniwe are the sweet ones, finished with butter and sugar. Pierogi ruskie, kluski śląskie, uszka and łazanki are savoury.

Which is quickest?

Kluski leniwe, at forty minutes from start to plate, then łazanki at fifty. Pierogi ruskie and uszka are the weekend projects, at about two hours each.

Which Polish dumpling will you make first?

There is a dumpling here for a weeknight and one for a feast. Smacznego!