Käsespätzle
A baked noodle dish with cheese and fried onions.
Käsespätzle is a traditional dish consisting of spätzle (egg noodles) layered with grated cheese and baked, typically topped with fried onions. It is known in German as 'spätzle with cheese' and is also called Käsknöpfle in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein or Kasspatzl in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria. The dish is a staple of the German regions of Swabia, Baden and Allgäu, as well as the Austrian regions Vorarlberg and Tyrol, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
- type
- Traditional dish
- origin_regions
- Swabia, Baden, Allgäu (Germany); Vorarlberg, Tyrol (Austria); Liechtenstein; Switzerland
- alternate_names
- Käsknöpfle, Kasspatzl
- main_ingredients
- Spätzle, grated cheese (e.g., Emmentaler, Bergkäse), fried onions
- common_side_dishes
- Green salad, potato salad, apple sauce (in parts of Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein)
Quick Facts
- Country
- Germany
- Region
- Swabia
- Main Ingredient
- Spätzle, cheese, onions
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Käsespätzle is prepared by alternating layers of hot spätzle and grated cheese such as Emmentaler or Bergkäse, then baking until all cheese is melted. The dish is finally topped with fried onions. Accompanying side dishes include green salads or potato salad, and in some parts of Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein it is usually served with apple sauce.
Reader's Guide
Käsespätzle holds significance as a regional comfort food across multiple German-speaking areas, reflecting local cheese traditions. In Tyrol, it is made with Bergkäse or Emmental cheese, or both. In Vorarlberg, two cheese varieties dominate: Montafon sour cheese in Montafon, and Bergkäse with Räßkäse (a local hard cheese) in Bregenz Forest. Side dishes in Vorarlberg include butter and yellowed tarnished onion rings. Variations exist with Limburger, Weisslacker, or Vorarlberger Bergkäse. A related dish, Kasnocken or Kasnockn from Salzburg and Upper Styria (Austria), is pan-fried instead of baked, with grated cheese and freshly scraped spätzle mixed and heated in a pan. The dish's legacy lies in its adaptability to local cheeses and its enduring presence in home cooking and regional cuisine.
Did You Know?
- Käsespätzle is also called Käsknöpfle in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein.
- In some parts of Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein, käsespätzle is usually served with apple sauce.
- A variation called Kasnocken from Salzburg and Upper Styria is pan-fried instead of baked.
- In Vorarlberg's Bregenz Forest, cooks use Bergkäse and Räßkäse, a local hard cheese.
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