Comforting, cheesy, rustic – this Austrian mountain dish from the Pinzgau region is everything you want in a cold-season classic. With homemade spaetzle, golden sautéed onions, a blend of freshly grated cheeses and a signature crispy bottom layer, it's served hot from the pan and topped with fresh chives. 🇦🇹🧄🧀
Austrian cheese spaetzle with roasted onions
Stefie
2-4
25-30 minutes
15-20 minutes
Austrian
Dinner
Ingredients
For the spaetzle dough:
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs (M)
- approx. 120 ml (½ cup) water
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For the cheese spaetzle:
- 150 g (1½ cups) strong alpine cheese (e.g. Vorarlberger, Gruyère)
- 100 g (1 cup) mild cheese (e.g. Emmental)
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 60 ml (¼ cup) hot vegetable broth
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
- Optional: crispy fried onions
Directions
- Prepare the spaetzle dough:In a large bowl, mix together flour, eggs, water, salt, and nutmeg. Beat with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes, until smooth and slightly stretchy. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Cook the spaetzle:Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Press the dough through a spaetzle press or colander directly into the water. Once the noodles float to the top, scoop them out and set aside.
- Grate the cheeses:Grate both types of cheese using the coarse side of a box grater. Set aside in a bowl and keep at room temperature – this helps it melt faster later.
- Sauté the onions in butter:In a wide, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the finely diced onions and sauté gently for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent (but not browned).
- Combine, deglaze & add cheese:Add the cooked spaetzle to the pan with the onions and mix well. Deglaze with the hot vegetable broth and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly.
Then add the pre-grated cheeses and stir gently until fully melted and creamy. - Let it crisp:Reduce the heat and let the cheese-spaetzle mixture sit undisturbed for 4–5 minutes to form a golden-brown crust on the bottom of the pan.
- Serve hot:Top with chopped fresh chives and (optional) crispy onions. Serve straight from the pan – rustic, bubbling, and incredibly satisfying.
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