spaetzle with brown butter sage
July 8, 2013 § 35 Comments
I made spaetzle this weekend. I have been wanting to make this for years and decided it would be a nice side dish with our grilled salmon. I searched around and found several recipes which all differed slightly. I got caught up in the Smitten Kitchen blog reading her post and the 400+ comments regarding her spaetzle. I ended up using a recipe from this blog. I really like her uncomplicated approach. It was just what I needed when I was feeling a little intimidated by the numerous other recipes. Some things need not be complicated. Spaetzle is one of them. I used brown butter and sage to flavor the spaetzle, then at the last minute I added cream. In hindsight the cream was unnecessary. I knew it right when I poured it in the skillet. However, it was out of this world delicious! As comforting as a good homemade mac and cheese. If you are serious about making spaetzle take a look at The Tasty Kitchen blog for a detailed tutorial.
- 2 whole Eggs, Beaten
- ¾ cups Water
- 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 large fresh sage leaves, sliced
- 1/2 cup cream (optional)
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a bit of salt .
Add flour and salt to a large bowl and mix together. Beat the eggs and add them to your flour mixture. Add water and stir well to work out all the lumps.
Using your colander and spatula, pour the dough into the colander. Keep the colander above the steam so it doesn’t cook before it gets pushed through the holes. Press the batter through the colander with the spatula. Drops will fall into the water and cook instantly. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the spaetzle from the water and strain it into a bowl. Toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sage cook until aromatic. Toss in the spaetzle and brown to your liking. Here is where I added the cream (unnecessary) and allowed to simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Serves 4, as a side dish
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
Looks like a great recipe to save.
Hi Seana! Spaetzle!! OMG! I’ve been wanting to try making my own spaetzle after eating goulash at a Hungarian restaurant… but never really looked around for a recipe. Now it’s here in my face! thanks so much for sharing! Looks amazing! And have a beautiful week!!
Hi there! How was the family visit….or maybe (hopefully) they are still there. You have to make this spaetzle. You’ll love it. I think it would be good with just about anything on it, just as you would dress a pasta. So glad to hear from you Felicia! :)
I have never heard of spaetzle before but it looks delicious! Definitely going to give this recipe a try! :)
I have only had spaetzle at German restaurants. It is wonderful. You’ll love it. I have seen it sold in dry form (like pasta) at the stores, but, I have a feeling making it is much better.
Love your enticing description and this also looks SO good.
Thank you so much. This really is comfort food. I really had to work hard not to eat thirds!
I have always wanted to make spaetzle! This does sound as comforting as mac n’ cheese. Pinning this one :)
I was so intimidated to make it and finally decided to just do it! I was pleasantly surprised. So delicious. And there wasn’t even any cheese. Well…cream though. :)
Oh, isn’t spaetzle delicious? Your looks particularly so—with or without the cream.
I have always loved dumplings and after making spaetzle I realize how it is actually just little tiny dumplings. So delicious and chewy.
Oh, I love spaetzle it’s so easy to make and totally delicious. I will use this recipe, I have never made it before but have it all the time in a German restaurant in my neighborhood! So glad you posted this!
I was pleasantly surprised how easy. When you look at the recipe you think…forget about it! Did you get a chance to look at the blog I linked with directions? Looking at the series of photographs I realized it really is easy. And it was. A great “go to” side dish. ( And I won’t use cream on it again.)
Wow, I’ve never heard of this before. It’s definitely something I’d like. I’ve just checked out the web site with the tutorial and it seems fairly okay to make. And I would go with the sage as I love its flavour. Wondering what it’s like with salad…
It was much easier than I thought. I realized while making them I was actually making little tiny dumplings. I can imagine what else could be done with them as mini dumplings. It is so filling so I think a salad would be perfect. We had grilled zucchini on the plate too (with pesto…of course) very nice…
Spaetzle is totally new to me. How does it taste like?
HI Danny! Spaetzle is really just a type of egg noodle with the texture of a little dumpling. It is so delicious with just about anything on top. This was the first time I made them and I plan on experimenting a little more with various sauces. I saw so many different recipes for making spaetzle some with as many as 7 eggs! I am sure many German grandmothers have their opinions about properly preparing spaetzle. :)
Ah.. interesting! I will search to see if it is available over here. Thank you for sharing :)
the extrusion process seems fun :)
:) It actually is fun in a satisfying way….
I love the use of the colander to make the spaetzle. And brown butter sage – it just doesn’t get any better than that! YUM!!
I totally agree with your idea that recipes need not be complicated!! This looks like something I could really make. Your picture is so inviting. thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Rhonda. I realize more and more how I tend to gravitate toward simplicity when it comes to cooking. Perhaps you’ll make some at one point. Little dumplings!
Although I’ve never made spaetzle, I have made enough pasta and served it with sage & brown butter to know how delicious the pairing is. It’s certainly easy enough and, frankly, most of the really tasty recipes are. Thanks for sharing.
I imagine spaetzle to be easier than making pasta. Oh why, just why am I so intimidated to make my own pasta! :) I have made gnocchi before. It turned out really well. I agree about easy being tasty. Especially when it comes to sauce. Thank you for commenting!
never seen or even heard about spaetzle before,
isn’t it a kinda pasta???
tempting to try……
Yes it is dedy. Or a boiled mini dumpling of sort. It is delicious. Highly recommend making some. :)
Isn’t it so fun to make your own spaetzle? It tastes so good too! I learned how to make it when I lived in Germany, but I’ve never tried it with brown butter sage before… Looks super yummy, I’m putting this om my list!
It certainly is fun. You must have used a spaetzle maker while in Germany. I’m curious if it is easier using one. Your blog is beautiful Yvonne. (looks like you may live in my neck of the woods?) I finally figured out how to subscribe. Thank you for visiting =)
The first and last time I had spaetzle was when honeymooning in Prague and Budapest. I love it and came home with little recipe books, convinced that I would recreate some of those dishes that we’d had. I never did and you just brought back some memories… :-)
between your conchigli post and this I’m drooling and daydreaming about gobbling up yummy yummy pasta!
I know….I probably post far too many pasta recipes. Obviously I love it and can’t enough of it. :)
THIS is one of my favorite side dishes. I even bought a spaetzle maker.
Oooooooh I’ve always thought spaetzle looked fun to make! Now it seems less intimidating, too. Maybe I’ll give it a shot soon…
I had no idea how to make it and once I set out looking I quickly became intimidated too. Then once I got into it, wasn’t so difficult. Hope you do try it. It’s great.