German Lentils with Spaetzle (Schwäbische Linsen mit Spätzle)

• Once again, my adventures with my favorite Schwabe have led me to eating traditional southern comfort food. Lentils and Spätzle. Which, by the way, is actually the national dish of the Swabian region in southern Germany (which some people, one in particular, who I happen to live with, likes to refer to as North Italy – pleeease. Nice try. You’re not Italian and those things you call mountains, they are actually hills!).

Accompanied by string sausages (which I don’t do – ever – and I’m not even sure what kind of sausages) is an absolute classic dish that doesn’t look particularly pretty, but it’s absolutely delicious with the added bonus: this one wins over kids too!

We usually used packaged Spätzle, dry or fresh (egg noodles also work well) but traditionally its served with homemade Spätzle which is incomparably fluffy and delicious and definitely worth the effort of making at home — just once!

If you do decide to serve this lentil stew as they do in Germany, with sausages, then don’t forget to put mustard on the table for extra seasoning!

The bacon in the recipe is only used to flavor the lentils, so you can either discard it before serving or cut the meat from the fatty portion and add it back to the lentil stew. I pick up 2 thick slabs of bacon from the butcher for this, alternatively you can use pork belly.

Looking for more traditional German recipes?

• Oma’s Apple Crumble
• Homemade Spaetzle
• German Potato Dumplings

4.5 from 4 votes

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German Lentil Stew with Spaetzle

Lentil stew with spaetzle, is comfort food at its best. As the national dish of the Swabian region in southern Germany is traditionally served with homemade Spätzle but packaged, dry or fresh, even egg noodles work well. An easy recipe that the whole family will enjoy.

Course Main Course

Category German

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 439 kcal

Autor Elle

Ingredients

• 250 g dried brown lentils (I recommend German Berg Lentils or Bernsteinlinsen)
• 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
• 250 g smoked bacon strip
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup dry white or red wine (125 ml)
• 2 cups beef broth (500 ml)
• 1 tablespoon or more mild vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), or more to taste
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• serve with 400 g Spätzle noodles of your choice

Method

1. In a large deep skillet, add the lentils, carrots, onions, bay leaves and bacon. Add the wine and broth; stir to combine.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, use this time to prepare the Spätzle, whether fresh or packaged.
3. If serving with sausages, add the sausages, either whole or cut into slices and keep the lentils on medium heat. Cook for another 5–10 minutes until the sausages are warmed through. If needed, add a little more water. The consistency should be like a thick stew.
4. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and bacon strips before serving. Enjoy!

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