Spaetzle is a German egg noodle with the consistency of a dumpling and is used in many ethnic dishes. They’re traditionally part of the cuisine in Austria, Hungary and Switzerland as well. It’s also the ULTIMATE FRUGAL NOODLE. A HUGE batch like the one pictured here is hardly ever more than $2 – but they’re filling, fun to make and good to eat.
Here’s a basic Spaetzle recipe, from my book Instant Bargains: 600+ Ways to Shrink Your Grocery Bills and Eat Well for Less (there are many great frugal basic recipes in the book). This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed, and will keep well in your refrigerator for up to a week.
German Spaetzle
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. water
3/4 C. flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Combine ingredients to form dough. Press dough through the holes in a colander or spaetlze maker* into boiling water. The noodles will rise to the surface when they’re done cooking. Serve with butter, gravy or other thick sauce.
*With the help of a Spaetzle Maker, it’s easier – but you can improvise. The first time my husband and I made these noodles we were newly married and broke – so we used a tin can with holes punched in the bottom. You can also use a colander if it has wide enough holes.
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Thanks!!! I have inherited a Spaetzle maker from my grandparents. Love to make Spaetzle soup!
I use a potato rice to form my spaetzle! Works like a charm.
That sounds like a good idea, Crystal. Aren’t the holes really tiny, though? I suppose they’d just be really thin noodles.
These noodles have been part of our family tradition for as long as I can remember. We learned to make them from our mom, who learned from her mom. We don’t use nutmeg and we use a pasta maker to roll out the dough. We’re now teaching the next generation to make them and during the holidays, our kitchen is decorated with hangers of noodles drying. We like ours browned, so after boiling and draining, we add a little butter to a skillet and fry until golden brown. We all like the crispy side, so we have learned to flip the noodles over and fry both sides, then we cut into pie wedges and serve as a side dish. Tastes great as is, or smother it in turkey gravy!! Yum.
Thanks for a great idea to build dinner around.
We also love spaetzles..But were do you get a speatzle maker? I never seen one of those and I need one LOL!!
Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-3128-Spaetzle-Maker/dp/B00004UE89/?tag=mommysavers0c-20
Kim, you said you used a can with holes in the bottom, how did you push the ingredients through the holes? I want to try and see if the kids like the spaetlz before I invest in the gadget.
I live in Germany so I buy the pre-made spaetzle in the grocery store. Then I like to saute a bunch of veggies (usually mushrooms, onions, garlic, bell peppers) in butter. Sometimes I add a bit of diced bacon or ham. I brown the spaetzle slightly then add swiss or monterey jack type cheese at the last moment.
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