How to Make German Spätzle from Scratch [Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle Recipe]

I have a list of recipes using KitchenAid Stand Mixer and as promised, I am going to share it here on the blog. First one is this easy recipe for Homemade Cheese and Bacon Spaetzle also known as Kasespaetzle with bacon thrown in the mix. And with the help of stand mixer, I am going to show you how to make basic spaetzle recipe from scratch.

I am crazy about doing things and making food from scratch because that is how we normally do it here on the mountain where I am currently at. Such a tedious task, you say. Don't fret. KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer got our back. It makes things easier, I tell you.

But first, what is Spaetzle (Spätzle)? There are tons of information about Spaetzle you can find online but to make our life easier, Spaetzle is basically a German pasta in shape of a sparrow. Some refer it as egg noodle dumplings, you get the gist.

There aren't many restaurants in Manila that serve Spaetzle due to the fact that there aren't many German restaurants here to begin with. If pressed for opinion however, I would recommend the Kasespaetzle at Brotzeit. Its lack of availability despite its unassailable comfort food charm made me keep this recipe I got from a dear relative and refer back to it when craving rear its teasing head.

While the word Spaetzle for some is not really easy to pronounce, it is fairly easy to make. It is pronounced as "schpets-luh," by the way. It is usually serve as a side dish, a good accompaniment to meaty dishes, sometimes with gravy. However, a good spaetzle can be a meal on its own, just like this recipe.

Ingredients are so simple you probably already have it lying around your pantry. The only slightly daunting thing about making spaetzle is the vigorous mixing that some recipe calls for. But with the use of mixer, everything should be fine.

So, let's get cooking.

Ingredients for our basic spaetzle include flour, egg, salt, ground nutmeg, dill, and milk. One of the many things I love about spaetzle is that its recipe is very forgiving. No offense to the Germans nor to the purist, but once I got hold of this recipe, I owned it.

You can use all-purpose flour or the best flour you can get. Water is usually use but milk yields richer spaetzle so I almost always favor milk. Freshly grated nutmeg is recommended but if store-bought grounded nutmeg is all you got in hand, it works well too. You can add herbs of your choice, it just so happen that dill is the current apple of my eye. Sometimes I use basil, other times it's moringga.

Classic German spaetzle recipe calls for a bowl and wooden spoon as tools to beat and mix the batter. I used to do that but I realized that my arms are getting bigger by the day that I can put an amazon to shame. Also I am popping vitamin B-complex these days like a mad man even my cells are getting bored.

So I figured, using stand mixer is the way to go.

Mix all the ingredients in the mixer bowl and with the dough hook attached to the stand mixer, mix/knead the mixture for 20 minutes in number 2 settings. You will know that the batter is ready if the consistency is not too thin nor too thick and it creates few bubbles and holes as you fold it using a spatula or wooden spoon. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.

There are several modern spaetzle maker now but the traditional tool that I heard German women still prefer to these day are spaetzle board and long knife. Mine are substitute tools - thin chopping board and pastry cutter. Both are efficient and serves me well nonetheless.

I have given up all that mixing things all thanks to my KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer, I should at least work my hands by cutting the spaetzle batter, it's easy anyway. So yes, we are going to make spaetzle without spaetzle maker.

What I love about using a spaetzle board is the fact that I have control over how big or small I want my spaetzles to be. If I am making spaetzle as a side dish, I can go ahead create small pieces of it. If my goal for the day is to stuff myself silly with spaetzle as my main meal, I can make it big enough pieces of it to satisfy me in no time. If undecided, different size per batch.

Making spaetzle using the traditional way is fairly easy. First, boil a pot of lightly salted water then reduce it to a simmer. Once the batter is ready, spread a scoop of it on the wet board and spread thinly near the edge of the board. Using your pastry cutter or knife cut through the dough creating little ribbons of batter and drop it to the simmering water.

Make sure that the board and the cutter you are using are wet otherwise the batter will annoyingly stick and cling to the tools. If the board and cutter are drying up, you may carefully dip it into the pot.

Again, you have control over how thin or thick, small or big your spaetzle will be. So you may cut it to your own liking. Too big of a piece is not advisable though because hey, we are talking about little sparrow here, remember? Also, there is no extra point for making the biggest spaetzle in the history of mankind, seriously.

You will know that the spaetzles are ready once it floats on the surface of the water. Cook it for couple of minutes more then scoop it out with a strainer.

At this stage, the spaetzles are ready to eat. The addition of nutmeg and dill makes it flavorful in itself. If you are not going to dress it with anything else, use it as a side dish like it's meant to be. My favorite accompaniment for spaetzle is Goulash. But here's a little secret, it works well with Caldereta too.

This basic spaetzle can be kept well and good for couple of days in the fridge, just reheat it in a pan with a dab or two of butter when ready to use. But for this recipe, we are going to use it immediately because as promised, Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle needed to happen. And I betcha it will.

Kasespaetzle or Cheese Spaetzle is sometimes refers to as German Mac N' Cheese. And anything with cheese is basically a sure winner in my book. I can say that Kasespaetzle is one of my favorite German dishes. 

This Kasespaetzle recipe I got here is by no means authentic, because I true Kasespaetzle got some crisp caramelized onion thrown in the mix. While there is also onion in this recipe, the spotlight is shared among the homemade spaetzle, the cheese, and bacon. I do not claim for this to be authentic, but it is equally good.

So let's just call this Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle because that it what it is. Ingredients are also pretty simple. A batch of the spaetzle we made from scratch, butter, cheese of which I usually use combination of two different kinds like emmental and cheddar, yellow onion, and bacon. I use bacon crumbs because it saves time as I don't need to chop up the slabs, but feel free to use whatever you got on hand.

First, saute the onion and bacon crumbs. No need to use oil because bacon fat will yield its own savory perfect oil which adds flavor to the entire dish. When the onions are translucent and the bacon crumbs are lightly browned, add the homemade spaetzle. 

Add butter and carefully mix so as not to break the pieces of spaetzle. Cook for about a minute then add a cup of shredded cheese. Add another spoon of butter. Mix carefully. 

You will know that it is ready when the cheese are all melted and gooey while the spaetzle have turned into a wonderful hue of light brown. At this point, you can already feast on this spaetzle goodness because this is basically cooked already.

But then again why not aim for something more cheesy and delicious in a whole different level. This recipe will do just that.

Transfer the bacon and cheese spaetzle into a oven-friendly dish and add another cup of grated cheese and a spoon of butter. Pop it into the oven at 350F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melted. You may also use the microwave, the goal is to melt the cheese to your desired consistency.

It is best enjoyed when hot, so, serve immediately. 

How to Make German Spätzle from Scratch [Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle Recipe]

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

For Basic Spaetzles:
3 cups flour
3 medium egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 1/4 cup milk
A pot of lightly salted water for boiling.

For Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle:
A batch of homemade basic Spaetzle 

1 sliced large yellow onion
1 1/2 cup of bacon crumbs
2 tbsp butter
2 cups of grated emmental and cheddar cheese or any cheese you want.

Instructions:

• In bowl of your stand mixer, add flour, salt, nutmeg, dill, egg, and milk. Mix and knead using the dough hook of the stand mixer at number 2 setting for 15 to 20 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
  

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water into a boil then reduce to a simmer. Spread a small amount of the batter near the edge of a wet spaetzle board. Cut and push a small ribbon of the batter into the simmering water. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
  

• You will know  if the Spaetzle is ready when it started floating into the surface of the water.  Once cooked, scoop out the Spatzles using strainer. Set aside.
  

• Saute onion and bacon crumbs in pan on medium heat until onion is translucent and bacon crumbs are lightly brown.

• Add Spaetzles and a spoonful of butter. Throw in a cup of the shredded cheese. Give it a good toss.
  

• When the cheese is all melty and gooey, turn off the heat and transfer the spaetzle in an oven-safe dish. Add the rest of the cheese and pop it into a pre-heated oven and bake at 350F for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melted.
  

• Serve immediately.

Making German Spaetzle from scratch is really easy and it makes it even easier if you use a stand mixer. I have been using this recipe for years now with variations I have mentioned above. While mixing the batter using hands is the traditional way, these days I prefer doing it with my KitchenAid Mini Stand Mixer as it speeds up the process and make things easier. 

I still have recipes using KitchenAid Stand Mixer to share so I hope you bookmark this blog for that. Meanwhile, I hope you get to try this easy recipe for homemade Spaetzle because it is so easy, yet so good.

More recipes soon. Happy cooking!