Lentils with Spätzle (Vegetarian Swabian Classic)
Lentils with Spätzle are a Swabian classic — here in a vegetarian version, still served with veggie sausages.
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A steaming plate of lentils with homemade Spätzle is pure Swabian comfort — sturdy, savory, and made for colder days. This vegetarian take honors the roots of Linsen mit Spätzle, once staple fare in the Swabian Alb, now cherished across south-west Germany for its down-to-earth flavors and practical heartiness. Lentils, nutty and filling, anchor the dish; fresh noodles soak up the tangy, vinegary sauce that gives this classic its unmistakable character.
Traditional lentils with Spätzle are always finished with a generous splash of vinegar — not just for brightness, but to lighten a meal built for cold climates. Don’t skip it; a little sharpness transforms rich lentils into something deeply satisfying. If you like, set a small jug of vinegar out at the table so everyone can adjust to taste, a trick I picked up as a student in Baden-Württemberg, where this was beloved canteen food. For speed, you can use ready-made Spätzle from the refrigerated section, but if you have time, hand-formed noodles reward with unmatched chew. (The name “Spätzle” means “little sparrows,” a nod to old-school knife-scraped shapes.)
Veggie “Vienna” sausages (or your plant-based favorite) round out the plate, keeping the spirit of the classic — smoky, meaty, but now with a much lighter carbon footprint. Dried lentils store well and earth up the dish with protein and fiber, while the vegetables and eggs you use for the batter make a difference.
Any leftovers reheat well with a splash of water the next day.
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Recipe
Lentils with spaetzle and veggie sausages
Ingredients
Preparation Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min
Servings: 2
- • 1 onion
- • 100g carrots
- • 50g celeriac
- • 10g butter
- • 1 tbsp flour (wheat flour)
- • 125g brown lentils or mountain lentils
- • 300ml vegetable stock
- • 1 bay leaf
- • 1 pinch salt
- • 1 pinch pepper
- • 3 tbsp vinegar
- • 1–2 vegetarian Vienna sausages or hot dog sausages per person
- • 200g flour (wheat flour)
- • 2 eggs
- • 60g mineral water
- • 1 pinch salt
Ingredients
Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 10 min
Total Time: 40 min
- • 1 onion
- • 100g carrots
- • 50g celeriac
- • 10g butter
- • 1 tbsp flour (wheat flour)
- • 125g brown lentils or mountain lentils
- • 300ml vegetable stock
- • 1 bay leaf
- • 1 pinch salt
- • 1 pinch pepper
- • 3 tbsp vinegar
- • 1–2 vegetarian Vienna sausages or hot dog sausages per person
Instructions
- 1 Peel the onion, carrots, and celeriac. Dice everything into small, even pieces.
- 2 Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a whisk and toast until lightly golden and fragrant.
- 3 Add the diced vegetables. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, about 5–7 minutes.
- 4 Add the lentils and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are just tender. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if needed.
- 5 Meanwhile, make the spätzle: Mix the flour, eggs, mineral water, and a pinch of salt in a bowl to form a very thick batter — it should be elastic and sticky. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- 6 Press the dough in batches through a spätzle press (or colander with large holes) directly into the boiling water. Alternatively, spread the dough on a moistened wooden board and scrape thin strips into the water using a pastry card.
- 7 When the spätzle noodles float to the surface (after about 2 minutes), lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a bowl. Repeat until all dough is used.
- 8 When the lentils are done, stir in the vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 9 Add the vegetarian sausages to the lentil pot and heat gently for 2 minutes or until warmed through.
- 10 Serve the lentils over the warm spätzle, or mix together in the pot. Enjoy while hot.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint: 1680 g CO₂e
This ranks it number 30 out of 59 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.
The carbon footprint of the recipe is therefore slightly higher than the average of the other recipes here on the blog: At least 50% of the recipes cause less emissions, but it is not yet in the worst third of the recipes. 🤨
When it comes to individual ingredients, the difference between vegetables and dairy products is particularly striking: Onions, carrots, and celery have a very good carbon footprint, while sautéing butter and eggs for spätzle have a higher carbon footprint, which is also very high in relation to the weight of these ingredients.
Comparison of Ingredients
| Ingredients | Carbon footprint per kg | Carbon footprint for recipe | % of ingredients | % of CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| onion | 0.2 | 16 | 7% | 1% |
| carrots | 0.1 | 10 | 8% | 1% |
| celeriac | 0.2 | 10 | 4% | 1% |
| butter | 9.0 | 90 | 1% | 5% |
| flour (wheat flour) | 0.9 | 9 | 1% | 1% |
| lentils | 1.2 | 150 | 10% | 9% |
| vegetable stock | 1.4 | 408 | 24% | 24% |
| bay leaf | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| salt | 1.1 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| pepper | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| vinegar | 0.2 | 6 | 2% | 0% |
| vegetarian Vienna sausages | 1.7 | 383 | 18% | 23% |
| flour (wheat flour) | 0.9 | 178 | 16% | 11% |
| eggs | 3.0 | 300 | 8% | 18% |
| salt | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| Cook lentils: 30 min | 91 | 5% | ||
| Cook spätzle: 5 min | 24 | 1% |
Instructions
- 1 Peel the onion, carrots, and celeriac. Dice everything into small, even pieces.
- 2 Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a whisk and toast until lightly golden and fragrant.
- 3 Add the diced vegetables. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, about 5–7 minutes.
- 4 Add the lentils and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable stock and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are just tender. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if needed.
- 5 Meanwhile, make the spätzle: Mix the flour, eggs, mineral water, and a pinch of salt in a bowl to form a very thick batter — it should be elastic and sticky. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- 6 Press the dough in batches through a spätzle press (or colander with large holes) directly into the boiling water. Alternatively, spread the dough on a moistened wooden board and scrape thin strips into the water using a pastry card.
- 7 When the spätzle noodles float to the surface (after about 2 minutes), lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep warm in a bowl. Repeat until all dough is used.
- 8 When the lentils are done, stir in the vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 9 Add the vegetarian sausages to the lentil pot and heat gently for 2 minutes or until warmed through.
- 10 Serve the lentils over the warm spätzle, or mix together in the pot. Enjoy while hot.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint (2 portions): 1680 g CO₂e
This ranks it number 30 out of 59 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.
The carbon footprint of the recipe is therefore slightly higher than the average of the other recipes here on the blog: At least 50% of the recipes cause less emissions, but it is not yet in the worst third of the recipes. 🤨
When it comes to individual ingredients, the difference between vegetables and dairy products is particularly striking: Onions, carrots, and celery have a very good carbon footprint, while sautéing butter and eggs for spätzle have a higher carbon footprint, which is also very high in relation to the weight of these ingredients.
Comparison of Ingredients
| Ingredients | Carbon footprint per kg | Carbon footprint for recipe | % of ingredients | % of CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| onion | 0.2 | 16 | 7% | 1% |
| carrots | 0.1 | 10 | 8% | 1% |
| celeriac | 0.2 | 10 | 4% | 1% |
| butter | 9.0 | 90 | 1% | 5% |
| flour (wheat flour) | 0.9 | 9 | 1% | 1% |
| lentils | 1.2 | 150 | 10% | 9% |
| vegetable stock | 1.4 | 408 | 24% | 24% |
| bay leaf | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| salt | 1.1 | 2 | 0% | 0% |
| pepper | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| vinegar | 0.2 | 6 | 2% | 0% |
| vegetarian Vienna sausages | 1.7 | 383 | 18% | 23% |
| flour (wheat flour) | 0.9 | 178 | 16% | 11% |
| eggs | 3.0 | 300 | 8% | 18% |
| salt | 1.1 | 1 | 0% | 0% |
| Cook lentils: 30 min | 91 | 5% | ||
| Cook spätzle: 5 min | 24 | 1% |