Kale pesto is the perfect sauce to pair with my sweet potato spaetzle. This easy side dish will be your new favorite fall meal!

Spaetzle has got to be one of my favorite winter starches. Usually, stews and soups are all about egg noodles and potatoes, but this dumpling-ish pasta deserves more cred! Spaetzle is a soft noodle found mostly in German and Austrian cuisine. My father’s side of the family is primarily German, and so I grew up eating them, frequently with paprikash!

Related: Pan Seared Skate Wing with Spaetzle and Lemon Beurre Blanc

For today’s version, I wanted to make an autumn riff on this classic dish, but keep it fresh with some pesto! This spaetzle features sweet potato puree, giving it a slightly darker color than the usual spaetzle, but still just as easy to make!

The most important part of spaetzle? The spaetzle maker! I’ve been using the same spaetzle make that my great-grandmother on my father’s side used, and it’s still going strong (very similar to this one!). You can alternatively use a spoon to push the batter through the bottom of a colander with larger holes.

In my opinion, kale is one of the quintessential fall greens, and so I chose to use it in this super refreshing pesto. You could alternatively use this spaetzle on its own as a side dish with stews or soups instead of egg noodles or potatoes. It could also be served with just a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese for a simpler side dish!

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Sweet Potato Spaetzle with Kale Pesto

Kale pesto is the perfect sauce to pair with my sweet potato spaetzle. This easy side dish will be your new favorite fall meal!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

For spaetzle:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup pureed sweet potato

For pesto:

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3 cups packed kale
• 1/2 lemon zested and juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg and sweet potato puree until homogenous. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature while preparing the pesto.
2. To prepare pesto, add garlic cloves and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add kale, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pulse again until kale is finely chopped. You made need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. With food processor running, slowly stream in olive oil through the top spout and pulse until smooth and creamy. Add parmesan cheese and pulse briefly, about 10 seconds or so, until combined. Transfer to an airtight container for storage.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Using spaetzle maker (or alternatively, using a colander with larger holes), drop the spaetzle dough into the boiling water and cook just about 45-60 seconds. Remove to a bowl and add a splash of olive oil, tossing to coat.
4. Serve spaetzle with pesto and extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

kale noodles pesto side dish spaetzle