One of the most beloved of all Swabian dishes, Kasespatzle (German Cheese Spaetzle) is everything great comfort food should be!
How to Make Kasespatzle
Where I’m from in Stuttgart, Germany, Kasespatzle is a classic – a quintessential Swabian comfort food dish. Homemade Spätzle are layered with gobs of shredded Emmentaler and geröstete Zwiebeln (caramelized onions) and then baked in the oven. I guess you could say it’s Germany’s version of mac and cheese.
Käsespätzle (cheese spaetzle) was a favorite dish in our home and we always looked forward to it when my mom would make it. Though Bavarian by birth she spent her later childhood through young adult years in Stuttgart and she’ll freely admit that Swabian cuisine is Germany’s best. And I couldn’t agree more. Here is a thoroughly authentic Kasespatzle recipe just like my mom always made it.
Nothing compares to homemade Spaetzle and I highly recommend making it yourself. Get our recipe for Authentic German Spaetzle.
If you love pasta and cheese and caramelized onions you will definitely LOVE this Kasespatzle!
Chewy homemade German egg noodles oozing with Swiss cheese and topped with butter caramelized onions…..
Comfort food really doesn’t get any better than this!
We had this for dinner and the next morning our 3 year old daughter requested it for breakfast! You’ve never heard so many exclamations of “oooh” and “yummmyyyy” before. She’s taking after her mommy and Omi (German grandmother). She even devoured every last bit of caramelized onion and then went about her play, zapping things with her magic wand.
If you’d like to know more about Spaetzle, southern Germany, and how to make the best homemade Spätzle, see my post for Homemade German Spaetzle.
Ready to make some Kasespatzle?
Let’s get started!
Melt the butter in a medium-sized heavy stock pot or Dutch oven.
Add the onions and stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes until deeply caramelized. Halfways into it sprinkle with a little salt and sugar to help with the caramelizing.
Get them really nice and brown.
While the onions are cooking make the Spätzle.
Make one batch of my Homemade German Spätzle.
Set the Spätzle aside until ready to use (they can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use).
Shred the cheese.
Käsespätzle is only as good as the quality of Swiss cheese you use. Do yourself a favor and get the good stuff. No, the American Swiss cheese just doesn’t cut it. Get some European-imported Swiss cheese. Emmentaler and Jarlsberg are both good options. I often like to combine it with some strong Gruyere for extra flavor.
The other key: Lots and lots of deeply caramelized onions. Don’t skimp on these. Use two jumbo-sized onions. The more caramelized onions, the better the Käsepätzle will be.
Butter a 9×13 (or slightly smaller) casserole dish. Place a third of the Spätzle in the bottom of dish, followed by a third of the cheese and a third of the caramelized onions. Sprinkle some salt over each layer.
Repeat until you’ve completed all the layers, ending with the cheese and the onions on top.
Bake the Spätzle uncovered at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the some of the edges have just started to get crispy.
Serve immediately. A light sprinkling of chopped parsley always adds a bit of color and class.
Enjoy!
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German Cheese Spaetzle (Schwäbische Käsespätzle)
Ingredients
- 1 batch Homemade German Spätzle (about 5 cups cooked Spätzle, can use store-bought if preferred), can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready use, then let warm to room temperature before baking.
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 very large onions , chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 12 ounces shredded Emmentaler or Jarlsberg (Swiss-like from Norway, mild) (you can also add some Gruyere for extra flavor)
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 (or a little smaller) casserole dish.
- To make the caramelized onions: Melt the butter in a medium-sized heavy stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes until deeply caramelized. Halfway into it sprinkle with a little salt and sugar to help with the caramelizing. Get the onions nice and brown.
- Layer 1/3 of the Spätzle in the bottom of the dish followed by 1/3 of the cheese and 1/3 of the caramelized onions. Repeat, sprinkling each layer with some salt, ending with cheese and onions on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes or longer until the cheese is melted and the edges are just beginning to get a little crispy.Serve immediately. This makes great leftovers!
Nutrition
Josh says
I’ve made this recipe many times now and it’s one of my absolute favorites. It’s a labor of love as it is labor intensive and can take a few hours, but it’s 110% worth it. I tend to double the recipe, which makes enough spaetzle to fill two glass baking dishes, one with two layers and the other with a single layer only. For two people, that gives us both healthy-sized meals for several days. For the onions, I definitely suggest using more than the recipe calls for. If it calls for 2 onions, I use 6 (12 onions if doubling the entire recipe). I also tend to burn my onions when cooking them in a stock pot as described, so I have made balsamic vinegar caramelized onions instead with great success. Dice onions and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then add a few glugs of balsamic vinegar (barrel aged works well), 1-2 Tbsp white sugar, salt, and pepper, and saute for another 10 minutes, adjusting seasonings as needed to get the desired sweetness. Thank you for an amazing recipe!!!!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Fantastic, Josh thank you so much! I love Käsespätzle too and absolutely agree with you – the more onions the better!
Jenna says
I’ve been making this recipe for New Years Dinner four years now and it’s always everyone’s favorite. I use jarlsburg and gruyere cheese and always always double the onions. They cook down quite and bit and I think they make the dish amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Jenna! And I agree, the more onions the better! :)
Ellen says
Can you freeze this dish
Kimberly Killebrew says
Yes you can, Ellen. You can freeze it either baked or unbaked.
Liz says
5 cups of spatzli is how many grams? we plan to buy store bought spazli :)
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Liz, 5 cups of homemade cooked Spätzle will weigh differently than 5 cups of dried Spätzle and I haven’t measured it out to determine the difference. Spätzle often comes in those large clear plastic 17.6 ounce bags. I would say to just cook up one of those – it will definitely be enough and if you have a little leftover I’m sure it will be put to yummy use as well :)
Elizabeth says
This was amazing. We used Emmantaler and Gruyere cheese. The caramelized onions are the best part. Also, it’s a really easy recipe (we did use store bought spaetzle).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Elizabeth, I’m happy you enjoyed it! I agree, the caramelized onions are my favorite part and like to make plenty of them! :)
Mo says
Have you tried freezing this dish once its assembled in layers? Before Baking?
I made an extra “unbaked” dish for my dad but cannot make it to him to give it to him. Curious if that would work…and would you bake from frozen???
Thanx for the awesome recipie, we made this with Rouladen for 16 people and it was a huge hit!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Mo, I’m so glad it was a hit! Yes, this should freeze just fine. Whether to bake from frozen I’m not sure (I’ve never tried). I would probably put it in the fridge the night before to thaw.
Jeane says
Hi! This is a fantastic recipe! I was cooking for a large event of 100 people, so I prepped the pans and froze (uncooked). About 3 weeks later, I thawed and cooked. It turned out great! Make sure to bake until the delectable brown edges appear! Best part! I used home made Spaetzle doubled the onions and Jarlsberg and gruyere cheeses
Kimberly Killebrew says
Fantastic, Jeane, that was quite the undertaking and I’m so glad it was a success! Thanks also for the feedback about preparing this in advance and freezing it.
Scott Wendelken says
I know this is an older post. I’m sorry. I’m making a birthday dinner for myself and LOVE cooking. I wanna go all out. I’m used to cooking Knödel and Spätzle that would soak up gravy; what meat dish would you serve with this to compliment? And if it’s not too much trouble, lol, what vegetable?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Scott! Käsespätzle is very filling and in Germany it’s served as the main course with typically only a green salad on the side. Whatever you end up making I hope you have enjoy a great birthday meal on your special day!
Rebecca Garner says
Could I add bacon to the layers?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Rebecca!
Anonymous says
I have to try this , I am from Germany always make Spätzle but never Spätzle . But never Käse Spätzle. This will be my dish and supper for tomorrow for my family 👍🎉 thank you for the recipe
Rick Thomson says
Very nice, although my wife, who is from Baden would disagree about Schwabisch cuisine being the best in Germany… ;-)
Drew L Schumann says
Great recipe! I like my kaesespaetzle with chopped bacon, and pan fry it instead of baking it. I fry it until I get as much browning as possible.
nancy g visconti says
Hi, I haven’t made Spaetzle in YEARS!!!! My German mother-in-law who I think was from Bavaria, made them & they were delicious. I’m going back to the ’50’s! I’ve never seen a recipe like hers. She made them with…..
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
salt
2-eggs
1/2 cup grated [COOKED] potato
have you ever made them with potato added? Nancy Visconti
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nancy, no, Spaetzle is a Swabian dish and is never made with potato. It sounds like she made hers similar to Italian gnocchi. It sounds yummy, it just isn’t Spaetzle.
Jenni says
I lived in Tübingen for 2 years and fell in love with Swabian cuisine. A native Swabian taught me how to make Käsespätzle, and your recipe is almost exactly like his. So delicious!! I’m making it for my in-laws tonight. I did use store bought spätzle, to save time.
jan palmer says
Can I make this a day ahead, then bake the next day?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jan, yes you can!
Anna Clark says
I first got this recipe from my friend in, whaddayaknow, Stuttgart! That was in 1989,and it has been a favourite in my family every since. The kids lovingly call it ‘maggot lasagne’ and are now making it for their own families. We make it with fried onion and salami strips, and loads of cheese. Then a bit of breadcrumbs on top to crisp the cheese crust. 😋