Pierogi Beef Skillet

September 14th: six years. I went to Holy Sepulchre in Worth with the sunflowers, the same flower stand, the same drive down 111th Street that I know as well as I know any road I have ever driven. I sat with Jess for an hour in the September morning and talked to her out loud because she would have hated anything less.

I told her about the twins. I said: Jess, I am having twins. I said it the way I say things to her, which is the way you tell a friend news that is too big for a phone call — just: here is the thing, here it is. She would have screamed. She would have done something dramatic and wonderful and then told everyone she knew, which is the one thing I miss about Jess in moments of good news: the specific amplitude of her joy. My joy now is quieter. It is not less. It is just what joy becomes when you have also known the other thing.

Ryan made the pasta when I got home. Same San Marzano tomatoes, same garlic, same long simmer. He has made this same dinner on this same evening for three years now and he will keep making it. He said I could talk when I was ready. I talked eventually. He listened. The twins moved while we were sitting on the couch after dinner and he put his hands on my stomach and said hi again to both of them, because he says hi to them every day now.

Six years. She would have been twenty-seven this year, the same age as me. I count the years she did not have. I live them for both of us. That is the deal I made and I intend to keep it indefinitely.

Ryan has made his pasta every September 14th for three years, and I hope he makes it for thirty more—but on the nights that aren’t that night, when I come home heavy from a hard week or a hard thought, this is the skillet dinner I reach for. Pierogies and beef, all in one pan, done in half an hour: it is exactly the kind of food that requires nothing of you except to eat it. That is what I need on the days when I am living double—my life and the one I am keeping for her. You sit down. Someone feeds you. You go on.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1 package (16 oz) frozen cheddar pierogies
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives or parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a plate.
Soften the onion. In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add pierogies and broth. Add the frozen pierogies to the skillet in a single layer. Pour in the beef broth. Cover and cook for 6–8 minutes, until pierogies are heated through and have absorbed some of the broth.
Combine and finish. Return the browned beef to the skillet and stir gently to combine everything. Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream until the sauce is creamy and coats the pierogies. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chives or parsley. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pierogi Beef Skillet — The Dinner That Holds You When You Come Home