Adapted from the Daring Gourmet and Eat Little Bird
Ingredients:
- 1 batch Homemade German Spätzle (about 5 cups cooked Spätzle, I made about 4 cups of store-bought because I’m not a dough person)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 very large onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 chicken stock cube
- 1–2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 12 ounces shredded Emmentaler or Jarlsberg (something mild, basically — I liked adding Gruyère for extra flavor!)
- Salt
- parsley and/or chives, finely chopped
Directions:
- Cooke the spätzle if you haven’t already (16 min. in salted water according to the package)
- Caramelize the onions. Don’t let them burn (this can take up to 30 min. to brown slowly).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Caramelize the onions in a pan (I used a little olive oil and butter for this).
- Butter a 9×13 (or a little smaller) casserole dish. Once the butter starts to melt, add some flour, stock cube, and Dijon mustard. Add a bit of milk if you have some, season with salt and pepper, and mix the paste well.
- Layer 1/3 of the Spätzle in the bottom of the dish followed by 1/3 of the cheese and 1/3 of the caramelized onions. Repeat, sprinkling each layer with some salt, ending with cheese and onions on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes or longer until the cheese is melted and the edges are just beginning to get a little crispy.
- Serve immediately.
So many times I ate this in southern Germany. I lived in the state of Baden-Württemberg, so there was loads of Swabian influence. Schwäbisch! This was a lot of work — I see why Kraft Macaroni and Cheese exists as a product. I forgot to get the chives! Facepalm. 1 organic yellow onion $0.74, 0.42 lbs. Emmental $6.30, 0.26 lbs. Gruyere $5.72, and 6 oz. Jarlsberg $5.99 from Whole Foods.
~Jessica