Tyrolean Cheese Spätzle (Kasspatzln)
Kasspatzln Say it: KAHS-spaht-sln
Kasspatzln is Tyrol's beloved mountain comfort food: soft, egg-rich spätzle layered in a pan with plenty of tangy Alpine mountain cheese, dotted with butter and crowned with sweet browned onions. It is eaten everywhere in western Austria — in farmhouse kitchens, mountain huts and village inns — as a filling lunch or a hearty supper. The taste is savoury and deeply cheesy, with a gentle sweetness from the onions and a tender, slightly chewy noodle underneath. Simple ingredients, but it depends entirely on good cheese and a light hand with the dough.
Tyrolean Cheese Spätzle (Kasspatzln)
Kasspatzln
Pronounced KAHS-spaht-sln
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the spätzle
For the cheese and onions
Method
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack in the eggs and add the water, then beat hard with a wooden spoon or the dough hook for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth, glossy and pulls in thick ribbons. It should be soft enough to press through a spätzle maker but thick enough to hold its shape; add a splash more water only if it fights back. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the 3 tbsp (45 g) butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions with the 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring often, for 12–15 minutes, until soft, deep golden brown and sweet. Scrape half of them into a small bowl and leave the rest in the pan.
Toss the Bergkäse and Emmental together in a bowl. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil and set a colander in the sink.
Working in batches, press the dough through a spätzle press, or spread it on a wet board and scrape thin strips straight into the water. The spätzle are done about 30–60 seconds after they float to the surface and look firm, not raw in the middle. Lift them out with a slotted spoon into the colander, let them drain briefly, and keep them warm while you cook the rest.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread a third of the spätzle over the onions in the skillet or in a buttered ovenproof dish, scatter over a third of the cheese, dot with a few pieces of butter, and season with pepper. Repeat twice more, finishing with a generous layer of cheese and the last of the butter.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cheese has melted completely and the top is bubbling with a few golden patches at the edges. If you want a crisper crust, finish for 2 minutes under the broiler, watching closely.
Scatter the reserved browned onions and the chives over the top and grind over more pepper. Bring the pan to the table and serve at once, scooping deep so every portion gets cheese, noodles and onions.
For a stovetop version, skip the oven. layer everything in the skillet, cover and set over low heat for 5–6 minutes until the cheese melts, then top with the onions.
Regional variant: Allgäu-Swabian Cheese Spätzle (Käsespätzle)
Just across the border in the Allgäu and Swabia, the same dish is made with Emmental or a mix of Emmental and Romadur instead of Bergkäse, giving a milder, more elastic melt. The onions are not layered in but fried until crisp and dark in a little butter or oil and scattered over the top just before serving. The spätzle are layered with cheese and butter in a deep dish and baked until bubbling, then served with a green salad.
Cook's notes
- The dough should be stirred vigorously — the more it is beaten, the better the spätzle hold together and the lighter they taste.
- Use a cheese with real character: a young to medium-aged Bergkäse melts well and still tastes of the Alps. Very old cheese turns stringy and greasy.
- Work quickly between draining and layering so the spätzle are still hot; that is what makes the cheese melt into the noodles rather than sit on top.
Serve with
A crisp green salad or a small bowl of stewed sauerkraut, and a glass of cold beer, cider or a light Tyrolean white wine.
Make ahead and storage
Assemble up to the baking stage, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day, then bake a little longer from cold; leftovers reheat well in a covered pan with a splash of water.
