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 husband and I lived in a little village called Baltmannsweiler for about 2 1/2 years a long time ago. It is in the Stuttgart area. I agree that that part of Germany had some of the best food in the country and in the world. I made your recipe tonight and it is the best one I have tried. I also made the hunter’s pork chops–delicious! I still dream about living in Germany. We loved our time there.
I’m absolutely thrilled you made and enjoyed both of those recipes, Pam, thanks so much!
Hallo Kimberly, ich bin auch aus Stuttgart und finde es schön, dass du unsere tollen Gerichte in der Welt publik machst.
Wenn du das Semmelknödelrezept einstelltst, erwähnst du bitte auch, dass man die übriggeblieben Knödel in dünne Scheiben geschnitten mit Butter in der Pfanne ausbrät?
Das schmeckt so gut, dass ich manchesmal nur für diesen Zweck Semmelknödel mache. Eine andere Variante ist die Knödel aus Brezeln anstatt aus Brötchen zu machen.
Weiter viel Erfolg!
Hallo Gaby und vielen Dank! O ja, das stimmt, so hab ich es früher oft gegessen, super lecker. Ich danke dich, dass du mich daran erinnerst hast. Mit Brezeln hab ich es nie versucht – das klingt fantastisch, muss ich mal probieren! Nochmals danke!
The first time I had Käsespätzle was with lunch along with Bockwurst and kartoffelknödel at an outdoor café on the shore of Lake Konstance in Lindua at the harbor with the Mangturm a stones throw away. The café was in front of Hotel Bayerischer Hof and my view was the lighthouse and Bavarian Lion protecting the harbor’s entrance.
Now that I’ve reminisced about that 2 week visit to Deutschland, I fell in love with German “Mac & Cheese”. I’ve tried to imitate it several times and even acquire imported Emmentaler from my local German market and bakery down here in Lakewood, WA. But never quite hit the mark. The version I had didn’t have the bacon/speck but I tried this and it came out excellent, much better than the attempts I’ve made. I love your traditional Swabian recipes as that’s what I’ve had the most exposure to while visiting Germany several times. Danke Schon.
Fantastic, Paul! Yes, adding the bacon makes practically anything taste better :) Lake Konstance/Bodensee…that was a favorite destination as a kid, we would take the ferry to the Insel Mainau, a fairytale place I always enjoyed exploring. Hess Bakery & Deli! I know it well, I used to go there quite often when I lived in the area and always enjoyed being able to chat in German with the women at the deli. My husband will still drive down there on rare occasions to get Weisswurst, something he loves and can’t find anywhere else.
If you not aware of Blue Max Meats, they make a fabulous Weisswust. Just picked up 8 links yesterday. They have a shop, near Puyallup, on Canyon Rd north of SR-512 by a couple miles or their store in the Town of Buckley. They offer a few other traditional European sausages and cured meats as well as organic, grass fed beef, pork and poultry. Some smoked, some with rubs or marinate already on them or just naked. Oh and their traditional smoked pork chops, best I’ve had this side of the pond. Better than Ham!
Speaking of Insel Mainau, I visited the Isle on my last visit in 2016. I totally agree with your description, it is a place where I do believe Fairies must live, so beautiful with all the gardens. I’m very lucky to have a lovely cousin and her family who love taking their American relatives to many of Germany’s fantastic places, and she’s a fabulous cook to boot.
And yes about Hess, I too get to practice my limited greetings and words I know in German when shopping there.
Tschuss :-)
I’ve heard of Blue Max. I think I went down there once to get some hog casings for my sausages. Next time I’m down that way I’ll check them out, thanks. Have a great week, Paul!
Hi, Am I missing something in the recipe, where I don’t see bacon listed anywhere, but you mention “bacon” is a must. I mean, who doesn’t love bacon, so I’m happy to add it but need to know at what stage (i.e. fried up and just added in the layers of the 9 x 13 pan or use the drippings when carmelizing the onions, etc. ?) Inquiring minds. Going to make this weekend for an Octoberfest party
Hi RB, Käsespätzle isn’t made with bacon and I don’t recall saying anything about it. Are you referring to a different recipe?
This is exactly like my German mother in law’s “cheese noodles”. Do you happen to have a recipe for the potato dumplings? They were a family favorite and none of us have the recipe, we have tried many. I have a feeling you’re the one that can help!
Hi Kristy! YES, I’ll be publishing my recipe for Semmelknödel (bread dumplings) shortly and will be posting the potato dumplings (Kartoffelklösse) in the very near future also :) Stay tuned!
I am making this for a high school German class “food day”. Since I don’t have time to make the noodles myself I have ones I bought in the store. It would be very helpful if you could add approx how many cups or ounces of noodles your homemade recipe makes (or are in a serving) or how many ounces you consider a “large bag” to be. I’m going to wing it and adjust as needed but it would be helpful for others. I’m also going to break with tradition and prepare it in a crockpot – layers etc all the same – so it can be dropped off and warmed gradually before their class starts. Wish me luck!
Hi Susan, thanks for the input. Fortunately this is a dish that really doesn’t need measurements – it’s simply a matter of layering the noodles, cheese and caramelized onions to fit in whatever size casserole dish you have (and as I said in my post, the more cheese and caramelized onions the better!). Good luck and I hope your contribution to the “food day” is a hit!
Hi Kimberly…..this Saturday is my birthday and my daughter has about 24 arriving dt her place. I’m saying “thank you” by offering your kasespatzle and other “Oktoberfest” choices….and beers!!!
I have read sooo much of your stuff!
Can’t wait to begin the following!
TYVM
P
I’m thrilled to hear that, Peter, thank you! And what a fabulous way to celebrate – Happy birthday! :)
This is a family favorite! Excellent as written.
Wonderful, thanks so much, Dana!
Thanks Kimberly, it’s just that a lot of people don’t know most cheeses aren’t vegetarian. Lovely food though, thanks.