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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Side Dish

Spaetzle Recipe

Published: Oct 12, 2021 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Top view of a skillet full of spaetzle with logo on the right corner.
Top view of a skillet full of bacon and spaetzle with recipe title text on image.
Top view of a white plate filled with spaetzle and a brat on a pretzel bun with recipe title text on image for Pinterest.
Two photos divided by recipe title; top of a white plate with spaetzle, bottom of a top view of a skillet of spaetzle.
Two photos divided by recipe title text. Top of a spoonful of spaetzle and bottom of a plate with spaetzle and brat.
Skillet filled with bacon spatezle with text on image for Pinterest.

Bring the flavors of Germany into your house with my easy Spaetzle Recipe using store bought spaetzle mixed with caramelized onions, and crispy bacon. This classic German side dish will have everyone shouting “Prost”!

Top view of skillet filled with bacon spaetzle with a red and white striped cloth on the side and brats on the side.

Every year either I host or my in-laws host an Oktoberfest dinner. In past years, I’ve brought the cucumber salad, caramelized onion bacon spaetzle, and apple strudel. I will task someone else to make the brats, pretzels, German potato salad, and red cabbage for our meal. I will be the first to admit that my spaetzle recipe is not fully homemade. It’s more of a semi-homemade recipe where I doctor up a bag of dry spaetzle that I purchase from the grocery store. By adding crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and spices no one will ever know that the spaetzle was not homemade from scratch.

Table of contents

  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Spaetzle
  • FAQs
  • Tips & Tricks
  • German Recipes

Ingredients

Ingredients on counter: bacon, bechtle spaetzle, onion, parsley, and butter.
  • Spaetzle – You are not going to make fresh spaetzle for this recipe. Instead, you will be using a pre-made spaetzle as pictured above.
  • Bacon – I love to cook the bacon then use the bacon fat to cook the onions. It adds another layer of flavor.
  • Onion – One onion, thinly sliced is all you will need for this recipe.
  • Butter – A few tablespoons of butter (salted or unsalted is fine).
  • Seasonings – A combination of salt, black pepper, and parsley is all I use to season the spaetzle once it is cooked.

How to Make Spaetzle

5 Slices of bacon in a frying pan on a glass stove top.

First, using a large skillet, begin to fry the five pieces of bacon on medium heat for 5 minutes until crispy (flip half way through).

Carmelized onions in a brown skillet on a glass top cooking top.

Remove the bacon from the skillet (keep all the bacon fat in the skillet) and place the thinly sliced onions in the pan, mix well and cook on low for 15 minutes with the lid on the skillet. 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.

Black pot with boiling spaetzle in water on a glass stove top.

While the onions are caramelizing begin to cook the spaetzle according to the package (be prepared it will take around 20 minutes depending on the brand). Remove once cooked, rinse in cold water, and set to the side.

Top view of a skillet filled with bacon spatezle with a red and white cloth wrapped around it.

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.

FAQs

How many people does this spaetzle recipe feed?

This spätzle recipe makes enough to have at least 8 side dish servings.

Where do you find spaetzle in the grocery store?

In past years, I only find it in the fall months in the ethnic food aisle or in the pasta aisle. You can also order spaetzle on Amazon.

What do you put in spaetzle?

You can toss your spaetzle in bacon fat, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, garlic, even toss with grated Parmesan cheese.

Why is spätzle mushy?

If your spätzle is over cooked it can become soggy and/or mushy. To avoid this, make sure to cool the cooked spätzle by draining into a colander and pouring cold ice-water immediately to stop the cooking process.

What is spatzle?

Spatzle is essentially a German pasta or tiny German noodle made with flour and eggs. This tiny but thick pasta is often found as a side dish in most German dishes.

Tips & Tricks

Top view of a white plate filled with spaetzle and a brat on pretzel bun with a red and white striped cloth.

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making Spatzle.

  • Reduce the Portion – If you would like to reduce the amount of Spatzle used for this recipe you do not need to reduce the other ingredients.
  • Dried Spatzle – Keep in mind most dried spatzle’s take about 20 minutes to cook until they are soft to taste.
  • Rinse – It is very important that after you drain the cooked Spatzle in the colander that you rinse it off with ice cold water. This will stop it from cooking and prevent it from getting mushy.
  • Thinly Sliced Onions – I like to cut my onion using a hand-held mandolin to get uniformed thin slices of onion.

German Recipes

Spoon pulling a scoop of bacon spaetzle from a large skillet filled with spaetzle.

If you are looking for more German recipes here are a few more of my favorites.

  • 24 Authentic German Recipes
  • Mashed Potato Cakes
  • Cucumber Dill Salad
  • Easy Cheese-Stuffed Pretzel Bites
  • Air Fryer Pork Chops
  • Bacon and Onion Potatoes
  • Sweet and Sour German Red Cabbage
  • Apple Sauce

If you make this Spaetzle recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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Top view of skillet filled with bacon spaetzle with a red and white striped cloth on the side and brats on the side.

Spatzle Recipe

Bring the flavors of Germany into your house with my easy Spaetzle Recipe using store bought spaetzle mixed with caramelized onions, and crispy bacon. This classic German side dish will have everyone shouting "Prost"!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: German
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 249kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • Stove Top

Ingredients

  • 5 strips bacon
  • 1 Onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup water divided
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • 17 oz dry package spaetzle
  • 2 tablespoon 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 onions in the pan, mix well and cook on low for 15 minutes with the lid on the skillet. 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 (be prepared it will take around 20 minutes depending on the brand). Remove once cooked, rinse in cold water, 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.

Notes

  • Reduce the Portion – If you would like to reduce the amount of Spatzle used for this recipe you do not need to reduce the other ingredients.
  • Dried Spatzle – Keep in mind most dried spatzle’s take about 20 minutes to cook until they are soft to taste.
  • Rinse – It is very important that after you drain the cooked Spatzle in the colander that you rinse it off with ice cold water. This will stop it from cooking and prevent it from getting mushy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1c | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
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Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!

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Apple Strudel »

About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katy @ Tasty Little Crouton

    October 22, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    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!!

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 28, 2013 at 7:46 am

      Thanks Katy! Yes–even in my local grocery store they sell dried spaetzle. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Nutmeg Nanny

    October 18, 2013 at 11:36 am

    This looks incredible 🙂 my mouth is watering just looking at this photo, yum!

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 18, 2013 at 11:41 am

      Thanks Brandy!

  3. amy @ fearless homemaker

    October 13, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    Oh, I love spaetzle (I married into a German family) and this looks like one of the best versions I’ve ever seen. YUM!

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 13, 2013 at 5:59 pm

      Thanks Amy!

  4. Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes

    October 12, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    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!

    Reply

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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