Käsespätzle (German Cheese Spaetzle)
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One of the most beloved of all Swabian dishes, Kasespatzle (German Cheese Spaetzle) is everything great comfort food should be! Chewy homemade Spätzle baked with gooey Swiss cheese and topped with caramelized onions, it’s on my most favorite dishes!
What is Käsespätzle?
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 Kaesespaetzle! 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 German Cheese Spaetzle!
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 Käsespätzle?
Käsespätzle Recipe
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!
For more authentic German dishes, be sure to also try my:
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Swabian Potato Salad
- Semmelknödel
- Senfbraten (Roast Pork with Mustard Gravy)
- Schnitzel
- Jägerschnitzel
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
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Käsespätzle (German Cheese Spaetzle)
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
- 2-3 large onions , chopped (the more caramelized onions the better so I go with at least 3!)
- 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 9×13 (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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet May 6, 2016
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
My Dad was a cheesemaker and when he came here he made his with brick, Swiss and Limburger. It was also made on the stove top, not baked. The pan was not fun to clean, but it was so good!
Anything with lots of strong cheese is heaven in my book, Audrey! :)
Hello. This looks amazing and like something I would cook. I wanted to ask if a “regular” ricer would work? I say regular because I can’t change the size of the holes. They are around the size of thick spaghetti.
Thank you.
Hi Omar, you’ll probably have a real struggle trying to get the dough through the ricer, I wouldn’t recommend it.
I LIVE IN THE SUTTGART AREA AND WAS IN TEXAS FOR 2 YEARS SINCE MY HUSBAND WAS STATIONED AT FORT HOOD
SINCE I DID NOT TAKE WHAT WE CALL A SPÄTZLE PRESSE WITH ME AND STILL WANTED TO EAT SOME: YOU CAN ALSO PUT A THIN LAYER OF THE DOUGH ON A BOARD AND SCRAPE ALWAYS A FINE LINE INTO BOILING WATER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TOOL:
WE CALL THIS “HANDGESCHABT” TAKES MORE TIME AND EFFORT BUT IT IS THE ORIGINAL WAY TO DO IT AND YOU DO NOT NEED A TOOL
My husbands family is from Switzerland and we make a dish almost exactly like this but use elbow noodles and salt and cook on a double boiler for about 3 hrs. I have never seen a recipe so close to ours. We have always called them Swiss noodles. I am going to have to try the fresh pasta and baking it. Wow!
Hi Jessi, I think you’ll really love the texture of the fresh Spätzle and few things beat the crispy browned edges of the baked Swiss cheese – heaven! :)
So, if I made the spaetzle the day before and had it in the refrig, how does that effect the baking time? Or should I heat it a bit first? If so, how do you recommend heating?
Btw, your food and site are SO wonderful that not only did I buy the spaetzle maker (I’ve always wanted to make spaetzle), but I’m now looking at German classes at the local night school. I always regretted that I didn’t study German and with the whole German food world out there, I’m thinking “Better Late Than Never!!”
Keep up the beautiful work!!
That is so exciting and thank you so much! :) For the refrigerated Spätzle, I would just take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temp for a few minutes. No need to reheat it and it won’t really make a difference in the baking time. Have fun with your German classes and upcoming cooking adventures! :)
Sounds delicious! For kasespaetzle, you don’t sauté the spaetzle before layering in the casserole dish? It just goes in after the boil?
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks, Mark! Correct, no sauteing first, just straight into the casserole dish after boiling. Happy cooking!
Vielen Dank für das leckere Rezept. Ich hatte es fast schon vergessen. Ich bin mit Spätzle und Zwiebelkuchen aufgewachsen. Komme aus Tuttlingen. Echter Schwabe aber lebe schon 60 Jahre in Kanada. Wie made the “Mac and cheese” with left over ham or bacon mixed in. Maybe my mothers variation. Thanks again.
Hallo Rosita und vielen Dank! Das freut mich dass es dir gefallen hat. Und es freut mich auch noch ein Echter Schwabe kennenzulernen :) Combining ham and bacon sounds delicious, thanks for sharing your mother’s variation! Kind regards, Kimberly
Hallo Kimberly, ich kommen von Heilbronn und bin ein echter Schwab.
Ich bin auch aufgewachsen an Linsen und spaetzle und
Knacksurst oder saitenwurst
Hallo Marianne! Linsen und Spätzle mit Saitenwurst is one of my many favorite Swabian dishes. I make it the way my Oma and mother taught me, with bacon, vinegar and just the right touch of sugar. Delicious! https://www.daringgourmet.com/swabian-style-german-lentils-with-spaetzle-schwabische-linsen-mit-spatzle/
Gott im Himmel schemckt sehr gut! I made this for Christmas eve dinner and everyone loved it. My mother often made spatzle, but never added the cheese or the onions. The onions absolutely make this a hit, and as Kimberly says, don’t skimp on them. Although my heritage is German, I live in the southwest and make tamales every Thanksgiving weekend. I always considered them the ultimate comfort food, but das Kassespatzle ist jetzt der Konig. Not sure how to say “comfort food” in German. Gemutlich essen???
This made me smile, Hanswurst, thanks so much for the feedback! :)
Kimberly, I have an all-day work meeting at a friend’s house coming up Monday and I wondered if I could layer the casserole Sunday and refrigerate overnight, take to her home Monday, and bake it there? It seems like something that can sit and wait, but it seemed worth asking first.
Hi Valerie, yes you can absolutely do that and thanks for asking because I’m sure others will wonder the same thing. Happy cooking and please let us know what your colleagues think of the Käsespätzle!