I had my first taste of käsespätzle over 30 years ago on my first trip to Germany, and I never forgot it. Often called the “German Mac-n-Cheese”, it’s not really. Homemade boiled noodles, cheese, and butter are baked in a casserole. After purchasing my own spätzle maker, so many spätzle experiments happened, adding different flavors to this traditional German dish. Consequently, this Toasted Almond Käsespätzle is no exception. it’s cheesy goodness with toasted almond flavor.
Adapting this dish seasonally is a great way to create new flavors like the fall-inspired pumpkin version above. Or the early spring ramp flavor. Also, adding plain spüatle to salads, meat dishes, and casseroles is a great way to bulk up recipes. Or German-fy them, if you will.
What is Spätzle?
Spätzle, a traditional Germanmini-dumpling, adds a lovely texture to this dish. Spätzle originates from the Swabian region of Germany. It consists of a simple batter of flour, eggs, and milk or water. Press the dough through a special Spätzle press or a colander into boiling water. The result is “sparrow” shaped noodles with a tender bite. The word “spätzle” means “Little Sparrow”. Add cheese and bake it in a casserole dish to make it Käsespätzle or, in this case, Toasted Almond Käsespätzle
To begin, mix up the spätzle dough. It’s a simple combination of all-purpose and almond flours, egg, salt, and milk. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime, toast almond leaves in a skillet, then set them aside. Heat a pot of salted boiling water. Place the späzle maker on top. Working with one portion of dough at a time, rub the dough through the spätzle maker holes directly into the boiling water.
The key to this Toasted Almond Käsespätzle recipe is replacing half of the all-purpose flour with almond flour.
TIP: If the dough is a bit too hard. Leave it on top of the spätzle maker for a minute or so until it softens.
Initially, the spätzle sinks to the bottom of the pot. They pop up to the surface when they are done. When this happens, scoop them out with a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander to drain, then into a greased casserole dish.
TIP: If you do not have a späzle maker, use a colander with large holes to squeeze the dough through into the boiling water.
The rest of the instructions for this Toasted Almond Käsespätzle recipe are super easy. Toss the spätzle with a mild grated cheese and the almond leaves. Sprinkle the butter on top and bake until golden and bubbly. This dish tastes best right out of the oven.
Toasted Almond Käsespätzle
Ingredients
- 1+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons whole milk
- 1+1/4 cups almond leaves
- 2+1/2 cups grated mild cheese
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter grated
Instructions
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Whisk together the flours and salt
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Beat the eggs.
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Add the eggs and milk to the dry ingredients.
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Knead into an elastic dough.
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Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
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Toast the almond leaves in a naked skillet. Set aside.
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
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Preheat oven to 350F.
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Place a colander in the sink.
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Use a spätzle press or colander with large holes to push the dough into the boiling water.*
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When the spätzle pops up to the surface, they are done.
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Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon to drain, then transfer to a large bowl.
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Toss the spätzle with 1 cup of the toasted almonds and grated cheese.
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Transfer to a greased casserole dish.
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Sprinkle the cold grated butter over the top.
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Bake for 25 minutes, scatter the remaining toasted almonds on top, and serve.
Recipe Notes
*Put spätzle dough on top of the spätzle maker over the boiling water for a few minutes to soften it.
So, do you like this Toasted Almond Käsespätzle? Then also check out some of these other delicious recipes:
BUTTERY HAZELNUT SPÄTZLE
WHOLE WHEAT KÄSESPÄTZLE WITH WALNUTS
BRUSSELS SPROUTS KÄSESPÄTZLE CASSEROLE
