It took me exactly one day in Germany to discover a major love of spätzle! Spätzle are soft, pillowy egg noodles that are almost like dumplings, and if you haven’t tried them yet you need to fix that void in your food-life right away. My absolute favorite is käsespätzle, cheese noodles, which are lightly spiced with nutmeg and basically the German version of rich, creamy mac and cheese. This is the ultimate Oktoberfest food for soaking up all that beer!
In case you missed it, we’re celebrating Oktoberfest feast week! Every day this week I’ll share a Bavarian recipe, then on Friday I’ve got the ultimate guide to hosting your own Oktoberfest dinner party. It includes all the details like what to make ahead of time, planning out your oven space, and of course a few great beer recommendations!
Oh my goodness, THIS CHEESE. Butterkäse is, you guessed it, literally translated as “butter cheese” because it’s so creamy and, well, buttery. This is the perfect melting cheese, with a mild flavor but lots of perfect melty strands to hold the käsespätzle dumplings together. Seriously perfection with a crisp pilsner!
If you can’t find butterkäse, try another creamy melting cheese – I bet fontina or a mild gouda would work really well.
Käsespätzle is served topped with caramelized onion rings, which provide a really nice sweetness against the salty richness of the dumplings and the nutmeg spice. You might be tempted to skip the extra step, but I promise the onions take this dish to another level of flavorful!
Have you had spätzle before, or will this be your first time trying ‘German mac & cheese’? It deserves just as much love as the American version, and I especially love it with sweet & tart red cabbage – that recipe coming tomorrow!
More Oktoberfeast Recipes
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Schweinshaxe (Roasted Pork Knuckle) |
Rotkohl (Red Cabbage) |
Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) |
Ultimate Oktoberfest Party Guide |