Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Moldovan · Romanian

Colțunași cu brânză

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Half-moon dumplings of thin dough filled with fresh curd cheese and dill, boiled and served swimming in melted butter and sour cream. Comfort food in Moldova and northern Romania.

Colțunași cu brânză is a Moldovan dumpling dish, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, cottage cheese and sour cream. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
45 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
20 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
481

Ingredients

5 servings

For the dough

For the filling

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Knead the flour, egg (opens in a new tab), water and salt into a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.

    • 8 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mash the cottage cheese (opens in a new tab) and feta (opens in a new tab) with the egg yolk (opens in a new tab) and dill (opens in a new tab).

    • 4 min
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Roll the dough thinly and cut out 7 cm rounds. Put a teaspoon of filling on each, fold into a half moon and pinch the edges firmly to seal.

  4. Step 4

    Boil in batches in salted water until they float, then 2 minutes more. Lift out with a slotted spoon.

  5. Step 5

    Toss with melted butter (opens in a new tab) and serve with plenty of sour cream (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Moldova · Commonly attributedClosely related to Ukrainian varenyky; eaten in Moldova and Romanian Moldavia.Also popular in RomaniaMore food from Moldova
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Dumplings · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Boiled
    Taste
    mild, creamy, salty, herby
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    All-purpose flour · Cottage cheese · Sour cream · Egg · Feta · Egg yolk
    Techniques
    Boiling · Kneading

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom cottage cheese, feta, butter, sour cream
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, egg yolk
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    481 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 232 g · recipe makes 5

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 17%
    • Carbohydrate 42%
    • Fat 41%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy481 kcal207 kcal
    Protein20 g8.6 g
    Carbohydrate50.7 g21.8 g
    Net carbohydrate49.1 g21.1 g
    Sugars3.4 g1.5 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre1.6 g0.7 g
    Fat21.6 g9.3 g
    Saturated fat11.4 g4.9 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol137 mg59 mg
    Sodium746 mg321 mg
    Salt equivalent1.9 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    216 mg
    Calcium
    200 mg
    Iron
    3.3 mg
    Magnesium
    28 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    171 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.5 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.8 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    201 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Storage

    • Freeze uncooked dumplings on a tray, then bag; cook from frozen.

    Reheating

    • Fry boiled leftovers in butter.

    Variations

    • Sweet colțunași: Sweeten the curd filling with sugar and vanilla and serve with sour cream and sugar, or fill with sour cherries.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    Structure

    For the dough

    Used in step 1

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like