Spinach Spaetzle With Bacon and Sage Recipe (2024)

This is a perfect example of a recipe that cries out for a video. It's entirely dependent on technique -- the right consistency of the batter, the flicking motion to form the dumplings, But noooo. We get one tedious Melissa Clark video after another -- no dis to her, but it isn't remotely interesting or helpful to watch her make a sandwich, or whatever -- but for something more complicated, the Times is nowhere. Bad choice.

I use my potato ricer to make spaetzle. If you have one, you don't need a special spaetzle maker. Much easier than the spoon or colander method. Good recipe!

Most German cooks (and I) make Spaetzle with a 8 inch cutting board with a handle and the blunt edge of a 8 inch chef's knife. Some of the dough is put on the wet cutting board and, working over a pot of boiling water, thin strips are scraped in to the water in rapid succession. The edge of the board and the knife are dipped in the pot occasionally to facilitate sliding. After a minute or so you can fish out the cooked Spaetzle and make the next batch. Fast, easy and no waste.

I like Melissa Clark. She demystifies cooking for people who may have scant experience in the kitchen, much like Pino Luongo did in his first cookbook, A Tuscan in the Kitchen. ( I was young and it got me started in the kitchen as an adult.) I'm a fairly experienced home cook now but she always reminds me how cooking can be an act of joy. For newbies, she may be a stepping stone to more complex recipes. I love her early videos shot in a basic apartment kitchen. No high end appliances needed.

So, as a discalimer, I did everything wrong with this recipe. I didn't have spinach, so I steamed some red kale, which gave the batter a revolting color. I only had two eggs, so halved the recipe and used a few tbsp of yogurt for the yolks. I made the batter too thin, so it plopped thru the spaetzle maker into a turd-like pile of goo. And still -- the nutmeg, sage, bacon and green were so delicious that we closed our eyes and ate it all. No doubt, made correctly, this would be heavenly.

Note that the 3/4 cup water (for the dough) is not mentioned on the list of ingredients.

I have had great luck making spaetzle using the kind of pizza pan with holes in the bottom. The pan's flat surface is more stable than a colander on top of a pot of boiling water, and usually has somewhat bigger holes. Smoosh the dough across the holes into the boiling water with a large silicone scraper, and the job can be accomplished in just one batch.

My Hungarian grandmother made fantastic spaetzle to accompany chicken paprikas. The batter was thick enough to need to be "cut" yet soft enough to be runny. She poured it from the mixing bowl to a dinner plate, held it at an angle and cut it into the boiling water with a table knife. It just takes experimentation. If you use a device, you lose the art of the process and it is too uniform which defeats the intent of spaetzle - it should be wiggly and uneven - just like life.

I agree one hundred percent. I need to see the dough consistency and this technique of grabbing a sliver of dough on the edge of the spoon as well as the drop technique into the boiling water.

I cook a lot of spaetzle with help from my cheap tool. This recipe can be simplified instead of using two appliances and separating 4 eggs, Puree the spinach with 6 whole eggs in a blender. Pour over bowl of flour and spices. Stir by hand until it barely flows off the spoon, adding rinse water from the eggie blender as needed. Don't rush pulling them after one minute. They do better with a few minutes and keep expanding. They never go into ice water. And I will never blot dry spaetzle.

I made spaetzle for years from a Calif. chef's cookbook (Zuni Cafe, perhaps) ..to accompany her chicken Bouillabaisse...it's a most undemanding project; you shouldn't need a video because they're wonderful any old way. Pity me now, however, a celiac, and recipes calling for "all-purpose" flour throw me. Too much to hope that such recipes will provide a g-f alternative.

Next time I might use regular spinach, not baby spinach -- the spinach flavor didn't really come through.

So, as a disclaimer, I did a one thing wrong and it was a total fail. I know how to make spaetzle and do it all the time with the cutting board technique. My issue was I was too generous with the spinach. The ratio was all off and ended up with a green mass floating in my pot. Tomorrow, I will get up the nerve to double the eggs and flour and make heaps of spaetzle to freeze. Lesson learned.

Between the water baths, blender, stand mixer, pot and pan, this recipe generates a LOT of dishes. I don’t recommend for a busy weeknight. It can also use much more salt. Despite all that, my kids liked it so it worked to get them to each spinach.

Added some sautéed onions and finely-diced ginger. Used diced prosciutto do san Daniele rather than bacon. Delicious. 5 star.

I like the suggestion of using a 8" cutting board with handle to cut pieces and push them into the water. I used a small cheese knife and it worked fairly well.

This recipe was sooooo good! And actually easier than I thought it would be. I subbed spinach for Swiss chard from my garden and it worked perfectly. Other than the chard swap, I followed it to the letter. I did the method where you push batter through a slotted spoon into the boiling water. I will totally be making this again and modifying it all types of ways!

Wow, my first time using the Spaetzle tool and everything turned out perfectly. I did halve the recipe, and I adjusted the water at the end until the consistency seemed right. This was a relatively easy way to make a fresh and beautiful pasta dish/side. Will definitely be doing it again! Would be impressive as a side for guests, especially since the noodles can be made ahead.

I used about 8 ounces of spinach (stems and all) and 7 whole eggs, and did not use the ice water bath for the cooked spaetzle (just put a little butter on them to keep them from sticking). They turned out great. I may add a smidgen more nutmeg next time (and there WILL be a next time, as my husband loved them and so did I).

Doubled the spinach (great way to get kids to eat their greens), used 7 whole small eggs and added some basil to the blender with the spinach. Got the approval of our 10 year old - ‘delicious’.

I made this very delicious recipe and highly recommend it! I skipped blanching the spinach, just pureed it raw with a couple of eggs and added it to the flour. I also did not fry the sage leaves or sauté the spaetzle at the end, just mixed it all together (fresh sage). We enjoyed it with a fall salad that had mint in it. The mint was great with the spaetzle. Next time I will substitute the sage with mint...

great side dish with a roast or lamb chops

The recipe didn't seem to call for enough spinach. So I trebled the spinach to 15 oz fresh, and sauteed it in very little EVOO and then let the water drain off in a colander before pureeing. The spinach flavor came out in a nice way in the final spaetzle and they held together perfectly.

While this was delicious as written, maybe it's just me, but this recipe cries out for some garlic. Everything is better with garlic. I also added some grated lemon zest to serve it it really added to the flavor profile.

If you have a pastry sleeve and a small nozzle (3mm), this will give you pretty squiggles. Make the dough to a cake batter consistency, and just cut litte strands with some scissors as you squeeze the dough above gently boiling water. Keep dipping the scissors into the water to make cutting easier. This took 15 minutes, with 3 stops to scoop out the spaetzle.