I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago when Ed and I were having dinner at the General Warren in Malvern, PA to find gluten-free spaetzle (or spätzle) on the menu. I typically don’t order any kind of gluten-free pasta at a restaurant as there’s usually something else better to be had. In this case I was intrigued as the spaetzle was made with chickpea flour. It was delicious so I decided to make it at home.
Spaetzle is central Europe’s (Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland) version of a small solid pasta. The batch I made each piece was about the size of a misshapen kidney bean. It generally accompanies meat dishes where the sauce flavors both the meat and the spaetzle.
It’s typically made with flour, eggs and some liquid in varying quantities. This recipe calls for chickpea (or garbanzo bean) flour, eggs, milk and nutmeg. The nutmeg brings out a bit of the nuttiness in the fairly neutral chickpea flour.
Chickpea flour is made from ground up chickpeas – nothing else so it’s naturally gluten/wheat-free. It’s also lower in both carbohydrates and calories than regular flour and higher in protein. Read Healthline’s 9 Benefits of Chickpea Flour (And How to Make It) to learn more.
Spaetzle is surprisingly easy to make – more so than traditional Italian pasta. Since I love kitchen gadgets I did seek out a spaetzle maker (pictured here) but you can also use a colander. In either case you run the slightly liquidy dough (think more brownie-like than traditional pasta consistency) through holes and into a pot of boiling water. They’re cooked when they rise to the top of the water – about two minutes.
I tossed it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled it with fresh flat leaf parsley and a sprinkle of nutmeg. We served this alongside a gluten-free Wiener schnitzel. It was a great accompaniment.
COVID-19 Update: I just read that the General Warren is now serving take out dinners Monday through Saturday. If you’re local to the Malvern, PA area, please consider supporting this long standing restaurant. It’s been around since 1745 and has seen its fair share of history but this is certainly an unusual circumstance.
| Chickpea Flour Spaetzle (Gluten-Free) | Print |
- 1-1/2 cups chickpea flour (or garbanzo bean flour)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup milk (any kind is fine)
- 2 large eggs
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Garnish: sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley and a pinch of nutmeg
- Boil water in a large pot (5 quart or more) over high heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together chickpea flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture. The batter will be a bit liquidy – that’s okay.
- Using a rubber spatula, press the batter through a colander with large holes or spaetzle maker (see Notes) straight into the boiling water. The spaetzle is ready when it rises to the top, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil so it doesn’t stick. Garnish with a sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Serve alongside a meat dish with sauce.
* I recommend Bob’s Red Mill’s Chickpea Flour (Garbanzo Bean Flour).
Source: Variation of a recipe from My Name is Yeh
I cannot believe you posted spaetzle on your website! They have been a staple for my family. My Swiss grandmother, mother, sisters, and I all make them simply with eggs, water, flour and salt. What was once a Swiss peasant meal is now a special occasion meal for our family. We don’t have a spaetzle maker, so we tediously scrape little bits of the batter off of a cutting board with a knife into the boiling water. I can still see my grandmother doing this over a hot steamy stove. She usually served them topped with bread crumbs browned in butter. But in true peasant fashion, we also make a winter meal out of them topped with fried onions and Limburger cheese. Yummy!
Susie – I love, love this story! This is one of the wonderful things about food – the memories! A college friend who lives in Switzerland mentioned having spaetzle with fried onions, too. She didn’t mention Limburger cheese – I love that idea! I did read about the cutting board technique. Don’t change what works for you but the spaetzle maker is SO easy. Thank you for sharing. xoxo