Käsespätzle

Acheesy German noodle casserole that’s quite possiblythe best dish I’ve ever made

This isthe bestkäsespätzle recipe! Käsespätzle is hands down my favorite German dish of all time. I know that’s a strong statement, but it’s true. I’m half German and adore German food. I used to eat Käsespätzle at my beloved Greenwoods in Fort Worth every week when I was in college. I remember having the worst day and walking into Greenwoods soaking wet and the kind owners immediately sending an enormous dish of Käsespätzle to my table. It was 3 pm but I needed comfort food. I needed Käsespätzle.

I was really quite intimidated to make homemade spätzle for Disney Dinners: Snow White. Snow White is a German fairytale (Schneewittchen) and I had my heart set on serving my favorite German dish but homemade egg noodles seemed next level. You can buy packaged spätzle but on a whim, I bought a spätzle maker just to see how hard it is and you guys, trust me when I say: making spätzle is the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen.

I can’t even believe it took me a decade to work up the nerve to try. Please please get yourself this $15 spätzle maker (linking it in my Amazon affiliate store for you!) and have a ball making the most delicious, authentic spätzle you will eat outside of Germany.

Photos courtesy ofMary Anita Batchellor Photography.
The Rose Table is in no way affiliated with The Walt Disney Company.

My Snow White dinner party guests were blown away at how easy it was. “That was it? You made the dough?” they kept asking. I’m not sure if I should call it dough or batter. It’s much runnier than pasta dough but thicker than, say, waffle batter. It’s only a few ingredients that you mix together and then spoon into your cute little greased spätzle maker. Then you move the piece back and forth (thank goodness I took video for you guys) and let the dough fall into the water. Two minutes later you have perfectly cooked spätzle. It’s wild!

You’ll definitely want to watch the Snow White episode below to see how spätzle is made, about 4 minutes into the video. It really helps to have a visual I think!

Now you can just toss spätzle with butter and herbs and call it a side dish or you can blow everyone’s mind with thisKäsespätzle. Watch my Snow White video below to see how easy it is to make this dish. I strained the noodles and tossed them right into a buttered 9×13, sprinkled caramelized onions on top, and sprinkled generous amounts of gruyere and butterkäse (a mild German cheese). Repeat the process, toss in the oven for ten minutes, and serve with a sprinkling of parsley.

This dish heats up weirdly well. Better than pasta, I’d say. The texture of the noodles is just out of this world. They’re so soft, like little pillows of German love. I think you’ll want to make this again and again!

For the spätzle:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup 1% milk

For the casserole:
2 medium white onions, chopped
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup gruyere, grated
1/2 cup Butterkäse, grated
Parsley for garnish

Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and stir well. Turn heat to low and stir periodically while you prepare the spätzle dough.For best results, put the onions on super low hours before you want to eat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish lightly with a bit of butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Grate about 1/8 tsp nutmeg over the bowl and whisk in.
Use a wooden spoon to stir beaten eggs and milk into flour mixture until dough is smooth.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Grease a spätzle maker (see note) and set over pot of boiling water. Spoon half of spätzle dough into the spätzle maker and push the square piece back and forth, allowing dough to fall into the pot. Set spätzle maker aside. Cook for two minutes or until spätzle floats to top.
Remove with slotted spoon and toss directly in prepared 9×13 dish.
Add half of caramelized onions directly over spätzle. Sprinkle half of cheese (combine the two) on top of onions.
Repeat process with remaining dough, onions, and cheese.
Pop in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Top with chopped parsley.

Note: A spätzle maker is recommended for best results. In a pinch, you can use a spoon to push dough through a colander. Besure to submerge the spätzle maker in waterimmediately after using for easiest clean up.