Last Saturday, my in-laws invited us over for an Oktoberfest dinner. I brought the apple strudel, cucumber salad, and this caramelized onion bacon spaetzle. Once I was there I realized that I was the only person with German heritage at the table! No one had tried spaetzle before (except my husband who has had it on a few occasions). I totally cheated and did not make my spaetzle from scratch. I just don’t have that kind of energy right now. But I did doctor up a bag of spaetzle to make it taste homemade.
Our family loved it and was shocked by how closely the spaetzle resembled gnocchi. One day I’l conquer making spaetzle (and gnocchi) from scratch. But until then I will keep doctoring up a package until I get the time, energy, and courage to conquer it.
So if your looking for a new side dish to introduce to your family or attending an Oktoberfest dinner this caramelized onion and bacon spaetzle is the dish to serve up!
Katie Original Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 strips bacon
- 1 vidalia onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup water divided
- ½ tsp dry parsley
- 17 oz dry package spaetzle
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, begin to fry the five pieces of bacon on medium heat for 5 minutes until crispy (flip half way through).
- Remove the bacon from the skillet (keep all the bacon fat in the skillet) and place the thinly sliced vidalia onions in the pan, mix well and cook on low for 15 minutes. Half way through mix, and add ¼ cup water. Place lid back on and cook longer. Continue to check every few minutes. Make sure the skillet stays moist and add the additional ¼ cup of water.
- While the onions are caramelizing begin to cook the spaetzle according to the package. Remove once cooked and set to the side.
- Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and place back in skillet with the onions, mix well then add the cooked spaetzle to the skillet. season with salt, pepper, dry parsley, and butter. Mix well and serve immediately.
Oh my gosh, I never knew they sold dried spaetzle! I know what I’ll be looking for during my next trip to the store 🙂 Just found your blog today, and I really like it! Super cute. Cheers!!
Thanks Katy! Yes–even in my local grocery store they sell dried spaetzle. Thanks for stopping by!
This looks incredible 🙂 my mouth is watering just looking at this photo, yum!
Thanks Brandy!
Oh, I love spaetzle (I married into a German family) and this looks like one of the best versions I’ve ever seen. YUM!
Thanks Amy!
You do spaetzle right, girl! It’s a favorite with my family and my Dad insists on it whenever I go home – I can’t wait to try your version!