Bacon Pierogi Bake

Since I'm cutting back on my baking to give my waistline a break I needed to come up with some sort of food-related post to keep you all interested. I've been wanting to make this bacon pierogi bake since I clipped the recipe out of an issue of Cooking Light back in December. I think it'll become a staple in our house as an easy weeknight dinner when I'm too tired to slave away in the kitchen for long. The recipe is absolutely perfect as written although I did leave off the tomatoes since I didn't have any on hand. The crispy bacon and cream cheese sauce lends so much flavor. Initially, I guffawed at the tiny serving size (three pierogis and a dash of sauce) but when paired with a salad the meal was plenty filling. Wish I'd had some fresh herbs to garnish my pierogis with, not only for the taste but to help spruce up my photo too. Not that you should need a picture to convince you to try something this yummy.

Bacon Pierogi Bake
Recipe from Cooking Light

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies (such as Mrs. T's)
Cooking spray
2 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Arrange the pierogies in an 11 x 7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

3. Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 1/3 cup cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies. Top evenly with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.

Yields: 4 servings (serving size: 3 pierogies and 2 tablespoons sauce)