German Spinach Casserole (with pasta and bratwurst)
This extremely tasty spinach casserole made with German-style creamed spinach (Rahmspinat in German), pasta, and bratwurst is SO GOOD! And it's ready in just over half an hour!I wasn't always a spinach fan, but became one after trying garlicky, creamed spinach at a friend's house. Now I love it so much, I made it the star of this pasta casserole. The savory, browned bratwurst meatballs are pushing this meal over the top and I know you and your family are going to love it!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 805kcal
Equipment
- Oven-safe skillet or casserole dish Make sure it's high heat safe since you're using the broiler of your oven, such as this cast iron skillet I linked.
Ingredients
- 500 g pasta fettuccine or tagliatelle or bucatini
- 200 g fresh, raw bratwurst from the meat counter or you can make my Bratwurst recipe (freeze what you're not using)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 450 g fresh spinach that's one giant clamshell, reserve one handful to fold in with pasta before baking. Can also use frozen (same weight)
- 1 yellow onion Medium sized onion. Medium dice.
- 1 garlic clove Minced
- 1.5 teaspoon vegetable bouillon I like using bouillon paste.
- 150 ml heavy whipping cream
- 100 g cream cheese
- freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 75 g gruyère cheese finely grated, add before broiling
- 50 g parmesan cheese finely grated, add after broiling
Instructions
- Remove the casing from the bratwurst and shape into meatballs. In an oven-safe, extra large skillet (such as the cast iron one I linked), cook over medium heat until browned from all sides, about 10 minutes.If you don't have a high-temperature, oven-safe skillet, transfer your meal to a casserole dish before going in the oven.
- In the meantime, sautee the onion in the butter over medium heat until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Now turn the heat to low, stir in the spinach and let it wilt in steps until it's all worked in. Reserve one handful of spinach to fold in with the pasta before baking.
- Add the cream and blend (I like to use an immersion blender for this) until smooth.
- Add in the vegetable bouillon and cream cheese and heat until all the cream cheese has incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg.
- Cook the pasta according to directions (cook to al dente, so on the low end of the recommended time).
- Add the cooked pasta to the spinach mixture and stir together, adding the reserved handful of spinach.
- Transfer to a casserole dish if your pan is not oven-safe.
- Top with the meatballs and gruyère cheese, then bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Serving Variations:
You can also skip the pasta and the bratwurst and serve the creamed spinach with Bratkartoffeln or boiled potatoes and a fried egg like we often did growing up!
Want the noodles to be more German? Make a batch of German egg noodles called Spätzle instead!
Feel inspired to make your own German-style bratwurst? Make my bratwurst recipe using ground pork and bacon and skip stuffing them, which is the hardest part anyway!
Nutrition
Calories: 805kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 673mg | Potassium: 1132mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 11590IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 8mg