Saturday, July 27, 2013

Aldi recipe: Spaetzle prepared like a carbonara dish with egg, ham and vegetables.

I made one new recipe with all Aldi products because I love comfort food that does not cost a lot. As a regular Aldi shopper, I was able to get a hold of some of the Spaetzle they had on sale during a German week some time ago and felt like cooking a comfort-type pasta dish with them. Spaetzle are associated with German cooking and usually come as a side dish to an entree that has gravy with it. But in Germany, we use Spaetzle like regular pasta and enjoy them because they taste like eggs and give a simple pasta dish a richer flavor.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Spaetzle with ham, egg, vegetables and cheese.
So I decided to prepare the Spaetzle as usual by boiling them in salt water. Then I added some vegetables from Aldi. I chose the Prince Edward Blend consisting of green and yellow beans and carrots that Aldi had as a weekly special. I quickly sauteed the vegetables in some oil - you do not need a lot to thaw the vegetables and I try to keep the beans crispy. I then cut some Honey Ham into small pieces, added the precooked pasta and heated everything thoroughly. To make the dish a little bit richer since I planned to use it as an entree, I added a scrambled egg that I simply scrambled in the pan. I then portioned out the dish into bowls, added a little bit of shredded cheese and ended up with a quick dinner that was filling, but provided a nice change from the usual pasta dishes that contain lots of tomato sauce.

Best of all, all the ingredients came from Aldi and so the total cost of the dish was a bargain. I like the Prince Edward Blend because it adds some color to the dish, but you can certainly add peas and carrots or any other vegetable that your kids enjoy.

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