Spinach Spätzle
Spinach Spätzle is a healthy and wholesome variety on your dinner table that will also delight your guests. A colorful addition to your dinner table!
Fresh Spinach can be substituted with the frozen kind. Most varieties of frozen Spinach come in 10 oz packages and needs to be drained once it’s thawed because it will produce a lot of water. A 10 oz package of frozen Spinach is the equivalent about a 1 pound bunch of fresh Spinach leaves
How to substitute fresh Spinach with frozen Spinach
Creme Fraiche substitution
A substitute for Creme Fraiche is one cup whole cream and one tbsp. buttermilk kept in a jar for 24 hours, stir. An easier version would be sour cream mixed with whole cream.
Fried Onions from scratch:
Cut the onions in rings, very thin with a knife or Mandoline food slicer. Heat the oil on high in a saucepan. Mix some flour with a little paprika powder and turn the onion rings in it. Drop into the hot oil and fry with constant stirring until medium brown. Lift the fried onions with a sieve, drain well and let cool down, spread out on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt a little
Use one pound frozen or fresh washed Spinach 
Combine Spinach leaves, chopped garlic cloves, Creme Fraiche and Parmesan 
If necessary, mix in food processor or blender 
Stir Spätzle batter to a smooth consistency 
Drop Spinach Spätzle dough into boiling water 
Spinach Spätzle will be done when they swim on top 
Remove and rinse in cold water 
Heat oven to 400F. Stack Spätzle with additional melting cheeses. 
Cook for 20 minute, then add refried onions in the last minutes
Also try Cheese or Käse Spätzle
Spinach Spätzle
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups white flour
- 4 medium eggs
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb frozen spinach, or substitute with fresh leaf spinach
- Milk if necessary
- 1 dash salt and pepper
- 6 oz. French’s Fried Onions as topping
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup Creme Fraiche, see notes for substitute.
- 1 dash of nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan (or melting cheeses like Cheddar or Swiss)
Instructions
- Warm up slowly the frozen spinach in a small pot.
- Add the garlic and remove from the heating source.
- (If using fresh spinach, cook it down first, add the garlic and then then mix it in the food processor)
- Combine the spinach and garlic mixture, eggs and flour, then stir or knead.
- Add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- To make the dough more fluid add some milk.
- Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot with water to boil. Add some salt.
- With a Spätzle maker (or use a knife scraping dough down the board) drop the dough into the boiling water. Turn heat to medium high.
- When the Spätzle swim on the top, remove, place in a sieve and rinse with cold water.
- Add the Creme Fraiche or substitute and the Parmesan or other melting cheeses. Taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Drop the Spinach Spätzle into the Sauce and stir
- Place the Spätzle with addition cheese in a casserole bowl
- Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
- If you decide to use French fried onions, place it on top now and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Notes
A substitute for Creme Fraiche is one cup whole cream and one tbsp. buttermilk kept in a ja for 24 hours, stir. An easier version would be sour cream mixed with whole cream.