Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle: German Comfort Food

Why Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle?

My segment this week is centered around German recipes in honor of GermanFest this weekend at the Athenaeum in Indianapolis. I’ve never been to Germany and I’m not German, but I did have a lot of help with these recipes! My mother-in-law’s family is from Germany, and my husband grew up eating many of her delicious German dishes. One of his favorites was spaetzle – particularly Bacon and Cheese Spaetzle.

What is Spaetzle?

Spaetzle is best described as a short, chewy egg noodle. The batter is mainly made of flour, eggs, salt, and milk.

The pasta can be used as a blank canvas for whatever you want to serve with it, but the recipe I’m sharing today showcases one of the more traditional ways to serve it: with bacon, cheese, onion, and sauerkraut. Bacon and cheese spaetzle is everything great comfort food should be!

Where to Buy Spaetzle – If You Don’t Want to Make It

You can, of course, make your own spaetzle. However, I’m going to be using store-bought spaetzle. My mother-in-law says it’s almost just as good, and I trust her opinion. Well, frankly, it’s often not in your best interest to question a German. I did however have homemade spaetzle in Germany, and it certainly has a wonderful, softer texture. However, store bought saves a lot of time for this simple dish.

I got the spaetzle from a local German store called Heidelberg Haus. If you’re in the Indianapolis-area, I highly recommend visiting it! They have a great cafe and bakery with a lot of tasty cakes, strudels, and pastries. If you don’t live in Indianapolis, you can find spaetzle in the ethnic section of many local grocery stores or online.

I made this recipe on Fox59! Although my husband is German – I’m Greek. If you’re looking for Greek comfort food try my Healthier Pastitsio.

Print