Spatzle (German Cheese Spatzle)

Name: Spatzle (German Cheese Spatzle)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 2 cups Flour; 3 Eggs; 0.5 cup Milk; 1 tsp Salt; Nutmeg; 1.5 cups Gruyere cheese; 2 Onions; 2 tbsp Butter; Chives

Southern German egg noodles scraped fresh into boiling water, then layered with melting cheese and topped with crispy fried onions — kasespatzle. Rich and cozy enough to be called German mac and cheese, and you don't even need special tools.

Ingredients

4servings

Spatzle dough
Flour · about 250g2 cups
Eggs3
Milk · or water0.5 cup
Salt1 tsp
Nutmeg · a pinch
Kasespatzle
Gruyere cheese · or Emmental, grated1.5 cups
Onions · thinly sliced2
Butter2 tbsp
Chives · to finish

Steps

Beat the eggs and milk into the flour, salt, and nutmeg until the dough is smooth and stretchy-sticky. Rest 10 minutes.
⏲ 10 min
Thinly slice the onions and fry slowly in butter until deep golden and crisp.
⏲ 10 min
Over a pot of boiling salted water, scrape the dough through a spatzle maker (or a colander or potato ricer).
⏲ 3 min
When the spatzle float, give them 30 seconds more, then scoop out and rinse briefly. Repeat with the rest.
⏲ 5 min
Layer the spatzle with grated cheese in a pan or baking dish and melt the cheese over low heat or in the oven.
⏲ 5 min
Pile on the fried onions, scatter chives, and serve hot.

Tips & Variations

Variations

Buttered spatzle: Skip the cheese and toss in butter as a side.
With gravy: Serve under goulash or a ragu.
Spinach spatzle: Blend cooked spinach into the dough for green noodles.
Cream sauce: Toss with a mushroom cream sauce.

Tips

The dough should be sticky and stretchy — adjust with milk or flour.
No spatzle maker? Use a colander or potato ricer to press the dough.
Fry the onions low and slow so they turn sweet and crisp, not burnt.
Use good melting cheese like Gruyere or Emmental, layered so it melts evenly.

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