Spaetzle and Cheese - Schickymicky American Mac n Cheese

Marvelous. Made spaetzle one night randomly after someone wanted chicken noodle soup. Seriously, instant hit, it was so indulgent and yummy. Uber comfort food.

Inspired I decided to make one of my all time favorites, spaetzle and cheese. It sparked an instant food obsession in my household as this became our new “adult mac n cheese” favorite.

Bechamel, baby. If that word is involved, get ready for some righteous eats. 

We take this French mother sauce, add it to our German noodles and how we end up with American mac n cheese is beyond me, but that’s what ya get here. ;) Well, that’s what I tell the boys anyway. Lol! Sold!

Spaetzle is one of my favorite noodles and once you make it a few times, you really become a fan. Like an entire batch of these buttered noddles can disappear in an instant, no lie. And they are surprisingly easy to make, so why not go for it?

Last time I made this for our chicken noodle soup, there was literally a squabble/near meltdown when one of the kids felt sure he was being ripped off as his brother devoured bowl after bowl of these noodles in like lightspeed fashion... Until I magically revealed a previously undisclosed gigantic bowl of noodles warming under a dish towel discreetly next to the stove. Disaster averted. Drama instantly abated. It earned fake-mumsy a heartfelt hug. Not today hangry house-monster, not today...

Ah, the power of spare spaetzle. Don’t underestimate it.

And so easy. I have a super inexpensive spaetzle maker I bought on Amazon for less than $12. Honestly, it’s one tool I may not use every day but when I need it, it’s invaluable. Such a timesaver you can literally whip up noodles super fast because you dump your dough right in and just rub it through the sieve-like holes directly over salted boiling water until it’s all used up. Super impressive, useful, efficient tool. 

And pork belly. Gotta have some pork belly. Ok, maybe that’s just us. We always have pork belly on hand since we cure our own bacon. But sky is very much the limit. If you love it, put it in. Lobster or King crab is my man’s favorite jam, for added at-home pandemic luxury. If you can’t go out to eat, do it yo’self, my friends. It’s most rewarding to eat well, feed each other well, when times are suck-ola.

I butter traditional oval oven safe baking dishes for baking and serving. Single serve or family style. You can probably guess why we do single-servings in my house of hungry men. Big ones. Make extra, freezing leftovers if you can’t eat it all.

Spaetzle:

• 2 1\4 c flour
• 1tsp salt
• 1\2 to 1 c water
• 2 large eggs

1. Mixed until firm but slightly tacky dough is achieved. Rough guess at water but if weather is nice, just about 1 c. This part you need to sort out yourself as the water should yield a slightly sticky, tacky dough that almost resembles a heavy batter. If dough is too firm or dry, you will curse me because it won’t be easy to push quickly through your maker or sieve.  
2. Let dough rest 10 minutes to relax a bit before making the noodles.
3. Large pot of salted water to boil. Spaetzle maker over top. The dough ball is a little sticky, right. Wet hands helps a bit. It will fit in the pusher compartment completely so just work it quickly back and forth putting slight pressure as you go to force the dough to push through the holes. They float and puff recognizably when done. 

I had a little butter, olive oil and some warm chicken stock on hand the first time I served them which made them perfect buttery noodles. Kids were crazy for them, like I said. I made 2 batches which is a LOT of noodles for a family of 6, plus more for leftovers regardless of how much your grown man boys think they can eat...

In case you haven’t seen my post for Cheesey Béchamel:

• 2 cups whole milk
• salt, pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 6 tablespoons fresh chives
• 2 1/4 c grated Swiss/Gruyere

1. Make the Béchamel by melting your butter in a non stick skillet on low heat. Let it melt, don't let it brown. As soon as it has melted, add your flour and gently whisk in to incorporate.
2. Add the milk a little at a time so you can incorporate it evenly into the roux. I use a measuring cup, makes pouring a little at a time so much easier. It will be very thick at first but keep adding the milk stirring with a whisk if you have one, until it's all incorporated. It will be smooth and silky. No lumps.
3. Remove from the heat and season your bechamel sauce with salt, pepper to taste.
4. Stir in grated cheese of your choice. I prefer Gruyere or smoked Gouda, which is out of this world yum. Velveeta or American will work just fine. Remember we are doing “American” adult Mac n cheese so this is absolutely allowed and will work beautifully. American cheese has its place, especially here, because it melts smooth and is creamy dreamy as we all know. If you don’t know, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Bake it already:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F or just use your broiler, keeping an eye on it. Everything is cooked so we just need to warm it through and get the top browned.
2. Lastly, just mix your noodles, bechamel and any other goodies gently to incorporate. I also top with a bit of extra grated cheese so it browns and bubbles on top.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes or if using the broiler, stay alert and present. Lol! You just want to warm and brown the tops.