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!
Looks yummy, will try it real soon. My question for you, and for most other cookbook and recipe writers is: Why don’t you give us a weight for those “2 very large Onions”? It would be helpful just in case we only have smaller onions on hand…
Last night I used your Spaetzle recipe with whole wheat, just 2 XL eggs and no stand mixer – mixed in a big bowl and beat with a wooden spoon, made them with a wet wooden board and knife, like my grandmother used to do (though not as fast and evenly). Also grated in some nutmeg,as she did. Super good… Left-over to fry for lunch.
I’m so glad your whole wheat Spätzle was a success, Peter! That’s a fair question about the onions. And that same question would apply to many other vegetables called for in recipes, e.g., “two large carrots” (what is “large”?), “3 celery ribs” (how big?), “4 cloves garlic” (what size?), “1 small leek” (how small?), etc. I think the answer is simply that in most cases an exact weight isn’t necessary; whether you end up using more or less of that vegetable than is “intended” to be used, it will be fine either way. Such is the case with the onion in this Käsespätzle recipe. (I for one consider the caramelized onions to be the star of the show here so I use extra onions!)
I can’t believe I didn’t leave a comment the first time I made this last April. It turned out so well! Delicious and just the comfort food I was craving. I finally got to use the spätzle maker I bought years ago. I’m making it again this week because real Emmental was on sale (like a crazy amount less than normal) at the grocery store. Thanks for your recipes. Next up, I want to try the zwiebelkuchen. :)
Thank you so much, Alison, I’m so glad it was a hit and I hope you enjoy the Zwiebelkuchen as well! <3
My hubby has spent a lot of time in and around Stuttgart for work and has fallen in love with Swabian cuisine. He’s not been able to travel and misses some of his favorite dishes. I just made this cheese spaetzle with some fresh spaetzle bought at Lidl (we live in Ireland now),and it was a hit! I’ll be cooking my way through your other German recipes in due course. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog. Many thanks.
I’m so happy to hear that, Deanne, thank you!
My husband and I lived in Mannheim for a time and käsespätzle was our favorite. My husband has since been diagnosed with celiac disorder, so hasn’t been able to enjoy käsespätzle in some time. I made your spätzle recipe with gluten-free flour and it miraculously turned out very well. Using this recipe for käsespätzle was also a wise choice. It was fantastic! Exactly how I remember it being in Germany. Thank you!
That is so good to know, Ingrid, thanks so much for letting us know! I’m sure our readers will appreciate this info as well. I’m thrilled you enjoyed both of the recipes, thank you!
Took it to a party and it was a big hit. They asked for the recipe.
This looks fantastic. Will be my first time making spatzle but my youngest son requested pork schnitzel so i thought i’d go the whole hog lol. I got some emmental but they also had some smoked gruyere in the store today so i got some and will add that as well. Really looking forward to trying it.
That’s wonderful, Vicky, your family is in for a real treat! Please let us know how it all goes!
THE star dish at our Father’s Day celebration!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything better.. :-)
Woohooooo!! That’s so awesome, Dolores, thank you! :)
4 Stars because I think it would be helpful to rewrite the directions. This recipe is so authentic and delicious just like everything else on the website. But, if you scroll past the story and just look at the ingredients and instructions, you will miss how to caramelize the onions… I left out the sugar all together because it was no where in the official “instructions” at the bottom of the page. Nevertheless, it was still super tasty.