Tyrolean Käsespätzle: The Original Recipe to Try at Home

This a very simple but tasty dish. Kasspatzln with melted cheese and fried onions are a typical Tyrolean meal and will certainly fill a hole if you’re hungry!

To be honest, Käsespätzle – or "Kasspatzln" as they are called here in Tirol – are not that easy to make, but they are the perfect dish to fill you up after a long day out and about in the fresh air. The best place to get them is, of course, at one of Tirol's mountain huts – but we think our recipe is pretty good too. The ingredients are simple: flour, eggs, cheese. There are also a couple of special bits of kitchen equipment you will need. Then it is time to roll up your sleeves and give it a go. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 250g coarse-grained flour
• 3 eggs
• 5g salt
• 50ml lukewarm water

For the Kassspatzln themselves:

• Butter or ghee
• 1 onion, diced
• 100g grated or crumbled cheese (Tirolean "Graukäse" cheese or any other type of strong-flavoured cheese)

For the topping:

• Fried onions
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper

Kasspatzln: Ingredients

How to make Käsespätzle?

Mix together the flour, eggs, salt and water in a large bowl using a wooden spoon. Use only as much water as required and mix well to form a dough (the dough should be quite stiff; otherwise add more flour). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Press the dough through a “Spatzlsieb” or “Spatzlhobel” (a type of upright cheese grate used for making noodles; a large-holed colander will also work) and into the pan of boiling salted water. Bring the water back to a boil again (the individual Spätzle will float to the surface when they are cooked); then strain and rinse cold.

In a pan, sauté the diced onion with a knob of butter (or ghee) until slightly brown. Add the egg noodles and fry until piping hot. Stir in the cheese in small batches until it is all mixed in well and allow it to melt. Season the dish with salt and pepper and top with crisp fried onions and parsley.

Fried onions are the classic topping. Peel the onions and slice very thinly. Combine flour, salt, and paprika in a bowl and toss onion rings into the mixture to lightly coat. Fry onions until golden brown.

Step 1: Mix together the flour, eggs, salt and water.

Step 2: Press the dough through a “Spatzlsieb” into a pan of boiling salted water.

Step 3: Bring the water back to a boil again, then strain the Spätzle and rinse cold.

Step 4: In a pan, sauté the diced onions with a knob of butter, add the Spätzle and stir in the cheese bit by bit. Mix well and allow the cheese to melt.

Step 5: Season with salt and pepper and top with crispy fried onions and parsley.

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