If you've never had spaetzle before, you've got to try them soon! Tonight, if possible! These rustic dumplings may not be as elegant as fresh pasta or have the charm of gnocchi, but they're incredible easy to make on a weeknight and, even better, require no special equipment. Do you like spaetzle?
One of our favorite ways to eat spaetzle is to boil it up, drain the pasta, and then sauté the noodles in a little browned butter until they're toasted and slightly crispy on the outside. Sprinkle with salt and a little parmesan cheese, and we have the ultimate comfort food!
If you're in the mood, you can also make a full-on tomato sauce. Spaetzle is hearty and goes well with meat or mushroom ragus. Try making carbonara-style spaetzle sometime - we guarantee you won't be disappointed!
Here's our recipe for making this pasta using ricotta cheese: Ricotta Spaetzle
If you don't have ricotta, you can also substitute cottage cheese, yogurt, or regular milk. Add a little of these other ingredients at a time until the batter about the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Spaetzle is remarkably forgiving, so don't worry that you're going to add too much or too little liquid.
And if you have any leftover herbs, chop these up and mix them into the batter. With Faith's post on breakfast spaetzle as inspiration, we're also eager to try adding sugar, cinnamon, and other warm spices to make a batch of sweet spaetzle!
How do you like your spaetzle?
Related: Colorful Cooking: How to Make Colored Pasta
(Image: Flickr member stu_spivack licensed under Creative Commons)
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My husband *loves* spaetzle--we just had it last weekend at an Austrian restaurant--but it never occurred to me to try to make it at home. Definitely trying it this week! We're partial to the traditional Austrian way, just pan-fried 'til it's a little browned.
Oh my, they look amazing - especially with those little toasty bits on them. I'm assuming that's a piece of lamb next to them - or perhaps I just have that on the brain. I love this website so much - it constantly inspires me to try out new things. xx
Spaetzle is the best! Especially with chicken goulash. Yummm!
Spaetzle is awesome!!
My family makes a casserole called Kenefles which are spaetzle layered with swiss cheese and topped with caramelized onions. It's served with a sour bean gravy and is ridiculously delicious.
My husband's "oma" makes a large batch when she stays with us. We freeze the noodles and take them out when we are looking for quick comfort food. We brown them with butter, salt and pepper in the skillet and top a serving with a sunnyside up egg. YUM!
Great post; I had spaetzle for the first time at an Ocktoberfest recently. It was delicious!
@nytrip-how do you make Kenefles? I did a general search for the recipe, but didn't find much luck.
I had some AWESOME spaetzle poutine at Murray St. Restaurant in Ottawa, Canada. Spaetzle, some melting cheese curds, and a rich gravy. Delish.
An episode of Lidia's Italy recently aired where Lidia made whole wheat spaetzle. I've never made it, but it looked really easy, and, I imagine, incredibly delicious!!!!
yes - they are delicious. I tried your recipe with ricotta and loved it.
There was this teeny tiny little Eastern European resto that only served 3 dishes; goulash, the best veal parmesan I have ever had, and the ABSOLUTE GREATEST chicken noodle soup with spaetzle. I have tried a few times to replicate it but have not been able to get the noodles small enough - they end up more like dumplings or gnocci. This soup was a mass of tiny pea sized spaetzle, and it tasted like love, warmth, nanna.... Oh god, I want a bowl right now.
Spaetzle are so great! Though in Southern Germany, they are made without milk, just eggs and water. Just checked and revised my post:
http://www.lensandlentils.com/2009/11/spaetzle-secret-to-fluffy-pasta.html
@ChicagoKristen: Search for "Kaesspaetzle" instead of "Kenefles" - that should do the trick...
Hmm...whenever I make them and subsequently try to fry them, they stick to the pan in the worst way. Am I just not using enough fat? Or am I overcooking them?
My favourite way to eat them is tossed in butter, sprinkled with fresh dill, and then a splash of plain cream or sour cream. A tiny sprinkling of sugar, too, if I've made them on a whim and want something sweet. Tastes like nalysnyky :D
@Heatherbelle - try pressing your spaetzle through a colander or potato ricer like this
recipe or this
one. That will make thin little noodles, and if you shake the colander a lot while you're pushing the batter through, I think they'll break up into pea-sized pieces!
@PreludeInZ - Try heating 1 tablespoon of oil or butter over medium high heat. Add the spaetzle and toss quickly so all the noodles are coated. Then let them sit, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until they brown.
I love spaetzle. My usual recipe is the one in the Joy of Cooking. I add some parsley and a lot of black pepper to the batter. I boil them then pat dry and pan fry with a bit of olive oil and butter. Yum. These may end up on the menu this week. Very tasty with pork chops.
My husband and I have our spaetzle as a side dish when we make corned beef. We mix a bit of sauerkraut into the spaetzle, toss it all together in a pan and sprinkle a bit of freshly toasted breadcrumbs. It works so very well with the corned beef, especially doused in white sauce. Yum.
This is the recipe I use for spaetzle and sauerkraut:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Spaetzle-with-Sauerkraut/Detail.aspx
To PreludeInz:
Don't overcrowd the pan, if necessary do it in 2 or 3 batches and keep the spaetzle warm in the oven until you're done.
I'm lucky enough to have an actual spaetzle press and make them quite often (with roasts in particular). Try frying them up with some fresh sage leaves, YUM!
my family is german, and every summer we get together for a big german feast. we make spaetzle (using only flour, eggs, salt, and water), and serve it alongside roast pork loin and sauerkraut. we top the spaetzle w/ the pork gravy. i've never even considered serving it w/ tomato sauce, but i bet it'd be delicious.
I first had spaetzle on a trip to Germany a few years ago and came home and had to make it for myself.
After a few really bad attempts, I went out and bought myself a spaetzle maker and it is just the best thing ever! I tried to use a slotted spoon, hole in plastic baggie, cheese grater and potato ricer...don't waste your time. Went to Zabars, picked up the real thing and it is worth every penny!
I also like to make a huge batch and then sautee them in smaller batches - some with onions, some with mushrooms, different cheeses, etc. They are so versatile, and go well with just about anything.