Sharing my grandma’s german spaetzle recipe with a healthier twist but same great flavor. A light egg noodle with fresh herbs and lemon.
I didn’t really learn to cook when I was very young. I don’t have any cool stories about standing on a wooden chair next to my grandpa learning how to prepare homemade bread from scratch. My mom was a great cook, but she worked nights so she made our dinners while we were in school and then we just heated them up when it was time for dinner.
I actually didn’t really enjoy cooking until I was in my late twenties. So when I learned that the theme for this month’s The Recipe Redux post is to share a healthy recipe about one of my “earliest cooking recollections”, I didn’t immediately know what I was going to write about.
[blockquote size=”full|half|third|fourth|two-thirds|three-fourths” align=”left|center|right”]I don’t have a lot of early memories about cooking but Spaetzle is the family recipe that gets passed on from generation to generation.[/blockquote]
My grandma (hi Oma) is from Germany and luckily for us, she is a fantastic cook. One of my favorite recipes of hers is Spaetzle. Spaetzle is a tiny type of egg noodle that is a traditional dish in Germany. Everyone in my family learns how to make spaetzle when they get old enough to boil water. My sisters and I all have our own spaetzle makers and even have our grandma’s recipe framed on our walls. It’s served at every holiday function and is a staple in our family.
One of the reasons I like spaetzle so much is that it’s so simple to make. Just combine the 4 ingredients together to for the dough, boil a pot of water, slide the dough through a spaetzle maker over the water and viola! A spaetzle maker looks like a flat cheese grater with a small square piece on top that slides back and forth. You put the dough in the square and as you slide it across the “grater” tiny noodles fall thru into the boiling water. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, you can press the dough through a colander and it works just as well.
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- Spaetzle Maker
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- Using Spaetzle Maker
Our family typically serves Spaetzle with brown gravy on top. It’s not the healthiest of dishes but the spaetzle itself isn’t too bad nutrition-wise. It’s a simple dish, made with just flour, egg, water and a bit of salt. I kept the basic recipe the same for this post but instead of drowning it in gravy, I sautéed it in olive oil and then topped it with some chopped parsley and lemon zest. Oma probably won’t approve, but it actually turned out fantastic. Slightly crispy from the olive oil and a fresh, light taste from the herbs and lemon. I will admit that I tried using whole wheat flour for this recipe and it turned out much too dense for my liking.
What is your earliest cooking memory?
Pin for Later….
Brynn – I love this (including the old recipe card!) I recently had spaetzle at a local German restaurant and being Italian, of course I loved it. I never knew how you actually made it – totally pinning this to try 🙂
Thanks Deanna! I feel like everyone prepares it a bit differently, but it’s so easy!
I have never made spaetzle but it sounds so easy I think I will give it a try. Thanks also for the tip on using a colander instead of a spaetzle maker, saves me buying one more utensil for the kitchen. It looks great topped with parsley, olive oil and lemon zest.
Definitely glad to help with having to have one less utensil around that you use once in a blue moon. Hope you like it!
I never knew how easy it would be to make spaetzle! I’ve never tried it before but now I think I need to 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Cara! It always looked daunting to me growing up but it’s actually so simple
I really wish I’d learned how to cook different things from my grandma. <3 I don't think I've ever had spaetzle, but it looks delicious! 😀
You should try it Farrah, it’s really good and easy
Great recipe! It’s rare to find spaetzle on a menu, let alone in a blog post. Such a great traditional recipe!
Thanks Jessica! When I first met my husband I think he had spaetzle ten times the first year I met him at all the family holidays!
That’s so sweet! Spätzle definitely are part of my childhood memories – yes, I’m German. We usually did the over the top decadent and delicious Käsespätzle/cheese spaetzle (layered with caramelized onions and plenty of grated cheese) and oh my. It’s so sweet you have you Oma’s recipe framed on your wall and even own a spaetzle maker.
This reminds me so much of my own grandmother’s spaetzle! SO delicious– one of my ultimate comfort foods as a kid. You’ve inspired me to make this soon!
This sounds awesome! I’ve only had spaetzle at our local Austrian restaurant, but maybe I’ll try making it myself soon. Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s recipe.
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Thank you for sharing your grandmother’s recipe! It brings back such great memories. I am looking for a recipe my grandmother uses to make using Spaetzle. She made a sweet milk soup. She never wrote the recipe down, so unfortunately I can’t make it. Have you ever heard, or made anything like that?
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Do you know if I can use almond or coconut flour to make it keto friendly? Love spaetzle
I’ve never tried it personally but I’m sure with some trial and error it could be done.