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
Adina says
German Mac and Cheese! I never would have thought to call Käsespätzle like that, but it fits! Funny! :) This is one of my kids’ favorite meals as well, I can never go wrong with Käsespätzle.
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
oooooh man. All of that cheesy goodness!!
Jackie Butts says
This was prepared by my family when we were visiting the region (20 years ago) and seeing the recipe here brought back the memories of a delicious meal. At dinner I commented that this would be really good for breakfast, and everyone laughed at me, but the next morning there it was, warmed up and sitting next to my plate. I was correct it was delicious for breakfast. I think your baby girl and I are on to something. Thank you for the recipe, it will definite be making an appearance on my table
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Those sound like wonderful memories, Jackie. I’m sure making this will be a nice stroll down memory lane for you. And yes, I had some leftovers for breakfast this last time well :)
Chris Scheuer says
Solch eine hübsche kleine Dame! She’s adorable. This German Mac-Cheese looks amazing, way better than anything I’ve seen on this side of the pond! You’re right, there’s nothing in the world like homemade spätzle… except maybe German potato dumplings! Can you tell I have a German heritage? I grew up on Apfel Kuchen and Kartoffelsalat. :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Nein, Chris, ich hatte keine Ahnung! Obwohl “Scheuer” offensichtlich Deutsch ist. Very cool! You’ll have to tell me about your German heritage sometime and which part your family came from!
Angie | Big Bears Wife says
I haven’t had restaurant or homemade Spätzle before but I need it! Anything with cheese and noodles is right up my alley!
Cathy | Lemon Tree Dwelling says
I’ve never been a huge fan of mac & cheese, but THIS!!! This is completely different! I can’t wait to try it!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
Ach! Schmecht gut! Meiner Opa kommt aus Stuttgart Sud–Aichtal/Grotzingen. Und ich habe fur drei Jahre im Deutschland gewonnen. Spatzle sind die beste! Und mit Kase–ausgezeichnet! :o)
(yeah, my German is a bit rusty, but I love busting it out every so often–especially to espouse my love of German food!)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Dee Dee, hey das freut mich zu hören! Ich komm auch aus Stuttgart und obwohl meine Mutter gebürtiger Bayerin ist, ist sie auch in Stuttgart aufgewachsen. I’m totally impressed your German is still that good, especially after having lived in Germany only 3 years. So happy to meet a fellow German food lover! :)
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
I grew up eating very traditional items like spaetzle, leberkas, weisswurst, and my favorite Schwabishe food–what we call “onion pancakes”. They’re thin egg crepes with green onions in them, but then you wrap them around cold cucumber and potato salad. Have you or your mother ever heard of these? We’ve never found anyone else familiar with them, but they were a staple in my grandparent’s house, and still are when my dad gets the motivation to make them. Schmect sehr gut! :o)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Dee Dee, those onion pancakes sound delicious (seriously, I’m going to have to try them!) but no, we’ve never heard of them. I’m pretty certain they must have been your grandparents’ own creation. So treasure it as a culinary family heirloom! :)
Troy says
No! Divulge this culinary delight to us! 😊
Eleanora Fischer says
my mother made what we called egg pancakes did not have the onion in them and we wrapped it in cucumber salad loved it.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Oh man I really want this mac and cheese! I love that it uses homemade spaetzle. There is so much love in this dish!
Katerina @ Diethood says
I think I adore your version WAY more!! SO delicious!
Cookin Canuck says
I adore spatzle and I can see why your little girl wanted this gorgeous cheese-y dish for breakfast!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Oh! I just love the caramelized onions in this – how delicious!
Jessica Formicola says
I’m down for any type of macaroni and cheese! Yours look positively delightful!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
I’m with your sweet little girl–I’d want to eat this for breakfast, too. I look forward to trying this very soon.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
I love this recipe. I’ve had spätzle a few times, but never in a mac n cheese! This has to be amazing.
Cynthia Le Roux says
What can I use as an alternative to spätzle I don’t know what it is ?!
Anonymous says
they are homemade egg noodles
The Food Hunter says
My husband is going to love this. I will surprise him with it soon