Chef Olaf's Spaetzle Bake

Double-smoked bacon, Black Forest ham and Emmental cheese make this casserole a complete meal in itself. Fresh chives and parsley add color and depth. Once you've tried this recipe, it might just become your favorite way to prepare Spaetzle noodles.

Ingredients:

500 g (17.6 oz.) Spaetzle (before cooking)
3 tablespoons (50 ml) vegetable oil
100 g (7 tablespoons) butter
1 very large onion, sliced very fine
250 g (8.8 oz.) double smoked bacon-speck, diced very fine
350 g (12.3 oz.) Black forest ham, sliced very fine
1 bundle chives, sliced fine
1 parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper
400 g (14 oz.) Emmentaler cheese, grated

Preparation:

Cook Spaetzle in a large pot of boiling salt water for 13 minutes until tender and strain, add into a large bowl.

Add the oil and butter to a large frying pan over medium high heat. Now add in sliced onions and sauté until golden brown then add in bacon and ham and continue to cook for minutes. Now add into large bowl with noodles.
Add in chives, parsley and seasoning to taste. Be careful with the salt because the bacon is already salty!

Mix well together and add half the cheese.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter the sides of an oven baking dish, add the mixture and cover it with the remaining cheese

Bake for 15 minutes and broil for 3 minutes until the "bake" is golden brown.