Spinach Spatzle: Creamy Recipe with Speck and Cream

The spätzle are one of those dishes that tell the story of border cuisine, where simplicity and substance go hand in hand. Born in the Alpine regions, between Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Germanic-influenced areas, they have also found a place at Italian tables, becoming a timeless comfort food.

The spinach version adds a vegetal note that lightens the dough and makes it more balanced, without taking away from its rustic soul. Served with crispy speck, cream, and a sprinkle of Parmesan, spinach spätzle is a complete, cozy, and deeply seasonal dish, able to warm you up without being excessive.

Spinach Spätzle with Speck and Cream

Homemade green Spätzle with spinach, seasoned with crispy speck, cream, and Parmesan: a creamy and hearty Alpine first course.

Print Recipe Vota la ricetta

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Course: First courses

Cuisine: South Tyrolean

Servings: 4 persone

Attrezzature

• 1 spatzlehobel (o schiacciapatate/attrezzo per spatzle)
• 1 pentola capiente
• 1 schiumarola
• 1 padella

Ingredients

Per gli spätzle

• 250 gr farina 00
• 150 gr spinaci freschi
• 3 nr uova
• 100 ml acqua
• q.b. sale

Per il condimento

• 150 gr speck a listarelle
• 200 ml panna fresca
• 50 gr burro
• 1 nr. cipolla piccola
• q.b. parmigiano grattugiato
• q.b. sale
• q.b. pepe

Instructions

• Cuoci gli spinaci in padella con poca acqua (o a vapore) finché appassiscono. Lasciali intiepidire, poi strizzali molto bene e tritali finemente.
• In una ciotola unisci farina, spinaci tritati, uova, acqua e sale. Mescola fino a ottenere un impasto omogeneo, denso ma morbido (deve “cadere” a cucchiaiate).
• Porta a ebollizione una pentola di acqua salata. Versa l’impasto nello spätzlehobel (o schiacciapatate a fori larghi / grattugia per spätzle) e falla cadere nell’acqua.
• Quando gli spätzle salgono a galla, scolali con una schiumarola e tienili da parte.
• In una padella fai rosolare la cipolla tritata nel burro. Aggiungi lo speck e cuoci finché diventa croccante.
• Unisci la panna, poi aggiungi gli spätzle scolati e manteca mescolando bene.
• Regola di sale e pepe e servi con parmigiano grattugiato.

Notes

• Strizzare bene gli spinaci evita un impasto troppo liquido.
• Se l’impasto è troppo denso, aggiungi 1–2 cucchiai d’acqua; se troppo morbido, un cucchiaio di farina.

Conservazione

Meglio appena fatti. Si conservano in frigo 24 ore e si scaldano in padella con un goccio di panna o latte.

When to serve spinach spätzle

This dish is suitable for many occasions: it is perfect as a first course for a winter lunch, but also works beautifully in spring, when fresh spinach is in season. It is ideal for a mountain menu or for those seeking a hearty but balanced recipe.

Tips for a perfect result

Spätzle should be soft and irregular: do not look for perfect shapes. Squeeze the spinach well to avoid a too liquid dough and fry the speck separately to keep it crispy until the last moment.

Variations

You can replace speck with cooked ham or lightly smoked speck, or omit the cream and toss the spätzle only with butter and Parmesan for a drier, traditional version.