Since the pandemic hit, I started cooking more and post more cooking recipes on here – and it seems you like them looking at the feedback I get on social media ;) Thanks for that! I think I have a good balance between sweet and savory now. So… how about another one of my favorite childhood dishes? Have you ever tried Swabian Käsespätzle? The German version of Mac’n’Cheese… soo good ;)
If you haven’t noticed so far, this dish will make it clear I guess – I am a child of the wild south of Germany ;P From Lake Constance to be more precise. I live here in Berlin for “decades” already, but the south of Germany, close to the border to Switzerland, is home for me. And since the Swabians are not far away geographically, there are also many Swabian dishes we love at Lake Constance. Käsespätzle is one of these dishes we love to cook and eat…
Käsespätzle and all other dishes with loads of pasta and cheese are a great option for a healthy lunch… or NOT ;P After a plate of these cheezy noodles you will probably fall into a food coma for the next 1-2 hours. But that is ok if it’s a weekend or if you are working from home, right? Nobody will know ;) If you want to make the dish the way I describe in the recipe it is better to make it on a weekend or whenever you got some extra time anyway. Making your own Spätzle is not complicated but takes some time… If you can get premade noodles from the supermarket, you can make this dish easily any weekday and go to “carb heaven” for lunch ;P
If you are Swabian or from Baden (as I am) you will probably make the Spätzle from scratch. Some stores offer special flours for that but regular a/p flour will do. I actually can’t tell the difference when eating Spätzle made with one or the other flour – I love them either way ;)
There are countless instructions on how to make the perfect Spätzle and there are quite different approaches to preparing them. For Swabians that might be important, but if you are new to making Spätzle I recommend doing it the way you are most comfortable with. You can make the noodles by scaping the dough from a wooden board into the boiling water or you can use a device to press the dough into the water – the noodles look a bit different depending on your technique but the result is equally delicious for sure ;)
There is one moment during your whole “Käsespätzle making experience” where you can ruin everything though. The moment you add the cheese. Do not, never, ever, use mozzarella cheese or something like cheddar. Big no-no! You need something like Emmentaler or some nice melty (maybe spicy) mountain cheese, but do not use mozzarella. Please! I have seen people using it and it hurt ;P It’s just not a match. Put it on your pizza, but not for Käsespätzle.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the Spätzle:
17.6 oz. (500g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 medium eggs
1 cup (250ml) mineral water
9 oz. (250g) Emmentaler, grated
salt, pepper
For the onions:
3 large onions
2-3 tbsp. butter
Für die Spätzle:
500g Mehl (Type 550)
1/2 TL Salz
4 Eier (M)
250ml Mineralwasser
250g Emmentaler, gerieben
Salz, Pfeffer
Für die Zwiebeln:
3 große Zwiebeln
2-3 EL Butter
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 210°F (100°C) and place a casserole dish (heatproof) inside the oven. Place a large pot with water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Place a Spätzle grater* (https://amzn.to/392hzqE) on the pot and add some of the dough on top and spread over the grater and press through the small holes in the grater. The dough will drip into the hot water and sink to the bottom – as soon as the noodles come back up to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon from the pot, let drain a bit and place inside the prepared casserole. As soon as the bottom of the casserole is covered with one layer of spätzle season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and create several layers of noodles in the casserole – finish with a cheese layer.
3. Peel the onions, cut into rings and fry in a coated pan with the butter until golden brown. Add the fried onion rings on top of the cheesy spätzle and serve immediately. The dish is pretty heavy, so serve with some light salad ;)
2. Während der Teig ruht, den Ofen auf 100°C (210°F) mit einer Kasserolle (feuerfest) vorheizen. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen. Eine Spätzlereibe* (https://amzn.to/392hzqE) auf den Topf setzen, etwas Teig darauf verteilen und mit dem Schaber durch die kleinen Öffnungen pressen/reiben. Der Teig sollte ins kochende Wasser tropfen, kurz absinken und dann als Spätzle wieder an die Oberfläche kommen. Sobald die Spätzle oben schwimmen, mit einer Schaumkelle abschöpfen und in die vorbereitete Kasserolle im Ofen einfüllen. Sobald der Boden der Form bedeckt ist, mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen und etwas geriebenen Käse darauf verteilen und im Ofen warmhalten. Die restlichen Spätzle kochen und mit dem Käse in der Form schichten – mit Käse abschließen.
3. Die Zwiebeln schälen, in Ringe schneiden und dann in einer beschichteten Pfanne mit der Butter goldbraun anbraten. Zwiebelringe auf die Käsespätzle geben und servieren. Damit das Gericht nicht zu schwer im Magen liegt, vielleicht mit einem kleinen Salat servieren ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Swabian Käsespätzle
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 00:40
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Germany
Description
Classig German homemade pasta dish: Schwäbische Käsespätzle (Cheese Noodles)
Ingredients
For the Spätzle:
17.6 oz. (500g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 medium eggs
1 cup (250ml) mineral water
9 oz. (250g) Emmentaler, grated
salt, pepper
For the onions:
3 large onions
2-3 tbsp. butter
Instructions
1. Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and mix. Add the eggs, then gradually the mineral water and mix until you get a thick and gooey dough. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
2. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 210°F (100°C) and place a casserole dish (heatproof) inside the oven. Place a large pot with water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Place a Spätzle grater* (https://amzn.to/392hzqE) on the pot and add some of the dough on top and spread over the grater and press through the small holes in the grater. The dough will drip into the hot water and sink to the bottom – as soon as the noodles come back up to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon from the pot, let drain a bit and place inside the prepared casserole. As soon as the bottom of the casserole is covered with one layer of spätzle season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and create several layers of noodles in the casserole – finish with a cheese layer.
3. Peel the onions, cut into rings and fry in a coated pan with the butter until golden brown. Add the fried onion rings on top of the cheesy spätzle and serve immediately. The dish is pretty heavy, so serve with some light salad ;)
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
