Delectable German Dish: Scrumptious Spaetzle And Cheese

What is spaetzle, you may be asking yourself. Well, besides being delicious, it is a German dumpling that is shaped in the form of a noodle. In fact, some people consider it to be a type of egg noodle. It’s a recipe that’s been around for a while too! Spaetzle comes from Southern Germany and the first written account of spaetzle dates back to 1725 although some believe that this delightful dumpling dates back even before then It must be scrumptious to have been around this long!

Spaetzle is still a favorite today in many kitchens, often served with cheese and onions. Think of it like an awesome version of German mac and cheese! Some times spaetzle is served with some sort of meat to accompany it, but with a recipe this old, we like to stick to the basics. Grab yourself a plate and see what the Germans have been chowing on for nearly three centuries!

Scrumptious Spaetzle And Cheese

(serves 6)

Ingredients

Noodles

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 white onion

Sauce

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 garlic salt

Directions

1. Boil about a gallon of water in a large pot on high heat.
2. Combine flour, eggs, salt, milk, butter, and nutmeg in a large freezer bag. Knead together ingredients while they are in the bag until dough forms.
3. Cut a corner off of the bottom of your freezer bag so that there is a very tiny hole the thickness of your noodles.
4. When your water begins to boil, squeeze strands of dough through the hole in your bag so that they are about 1 1/2-inches long.
5. Repeat step 4 until all of your dough is in the boiling water. Boil noodles for two minutes.
6. Prepare cheese sauce by heating up 1 cup of whole milk in a saucepan on medium heat.
7. Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour when milk begins to steam. Continue whisking for 3 minutes.
8. Add in cheese, salt, and garlic salt to your saucepan. Stir together and remove from heat.
9. Strain your boiled spaetzle in a colander.
10. Transfer spaetzle to a medium pan and saute your in butter on medium heat until the noodles begin to brown.
11. Chop your onion and sear in a separate pan in olive oil on medium heat until onion becomes crispy.
12. Add cheese sauce into your pan of spaetzle. Cook on low heat for 1 minute.
13. Top with crispy onions.

Recipe adapted from My Second Breakfast and The Kitchn