This side dish is great with many German dishes – sauerbraten, rouladen, schnitzel, wurst, etc.  I will admit up front and unabashedly, I use imported dry spaetzle because it is so easy. The key for me is to add a little something special to the spaetzle – like this brown butter and thyme variation.

Spaetzle with Brown Butter and Thyme

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of dry spaetzle
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt
• cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the spaetzle per the package instructions.Shave a minute or two off the cooking time as you want the spaetzle to be a bit firmer.

Drain the spaetzle and toss with the olive oil to keep it loose and from sticking/clumping.  Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt the butter. When the bubbling stops, add the spaetzle and toss to coat with the butter.

Lightly brown the edges of the spaetzle and add the thyme, tossing to combine.