What family favorite meals did you grow up eating? Do you make that meal for your family? If you remember my post Who am I? What am I doing? I listed a few of my favorite German foods. One of them is Knoephla soup.

My Favorite

German is my favorite above all other cuisines. Both of my grandmothers and maternal great-grandmothers cooked German food. They all lived in the same town which was nice when we went to visit. I loved to visit my grandparents. The restaurants even served some good German food, which we did not always go out to eat. Grandma’s food was always the best, in my opinion, especially her Knoephla soup. I think it was the love that she put into making it.

Last week, I sat down at my computer to write out my grocery list. We had just used our last kielbasa sausage, so I put two on my list. My son likes to eat sausage in Mac & Cheese, too. Even though it is getting nice outside this time of year, I thought I have not eaten Knoephla soup in a while. I decided to make some knoephla soup.

I made some Knoephla soup using a relative’s recipe. I cannot find my grandma’s since it probably was in her head. I did not have all the right ingredients so I made due. My soup did not turn out quite right it was a little too milky. This was only my second or third time making this soup. The knoephla (little dumplings) take some time to make. Next time will be different, I will use all the right ingredients.

The Recipe

Here is the recipe that I used for Knoephla Soup:

• 4 quarts water
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 3/4 bottle of chicken bouillon (small pieces)

Bring to a boil; add 2 medium potatoes (cubed) and 1 small onion.

• 4 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• Water or milk (enough to make soft dough)

Cut into small pieces. Boil for 3 minutes. (Make dough 1 hour before cutting into soup.) Add pepper and 2 cans Carnation milk or substitute cream or half & half. Heat and serve. Variation: Cut 1/2 pound bacon into small pieces; brown and add to soup for flavor¹.

What I learned:

I learned this when I first started to cook: Always read through the whole recipe and understand what you need to do. This recipe lists more ingredients and that you should make a part (knoephla) 1 hour before you are ready to cook. This recipe also does not really give great instructions. So this recipe, to a new cook, is not a great one to read. Although you could probably figure it out. This recipe did not call for celery (other than in cream of celery) or carrots like I am used to.

My Journey

I was not the best cook! One of the foods I could not make (from scratch) was spaghetti with meatballs. Yes, I could make spaghetti, it was the meatballs I had trouble with. There was one time my sister was over at the house that I put too much water in. Let’s say they did not hold form and went splat, flat as a pancake. Needless to say, we opt to eat something else. Other times I tried to make them I would fry them in a pan and I could never get them to be round, they came out square. Then I bought frozen meatballs from the grocery store. I have never liked the frozen meatballs. I just crumbled the meat and put it into the sauce.

For years I crumbled the meat into the sauce. My son wanted to have meatballs, so I decided to go on the internet to find a good recipe. I found the best meatball recipe. This recipe makes a good amount of meatballs that you can use for two meals. My struggle with meatballs has come to an end.

Now you are probably thinking that is not cooking like your grandma. That is true. When I was learning to cook, I got mad not being able to add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and it turned out as something edible. I had to always follow a recipe, if they said a tablespoon I put in a tablespoon. The first time I ventured away from a recipe it was for lasagna.

Many times I looked at the recipe on the box. I do not know if they have the same one on the box now. The recipe I looked at had mushrooms and garlic in it. I do not eat mushrooms but I love lasagna. Now, what do I do? Well, I thought, I will take them out and since I love garlic I omit the mushrooms and added more garlic. The second time I made it, I experimented around with the seasonings. I did not measure too closely with the Italian seasoning, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. I have made lasagna many times now and do not need a recipe to read off of.

One time I even cooked lasagna in a Crock-pot. That recipe used ready-to-use lasagna noodles. My (now ex) husband and his best friend loved that meal. One time when I was going to my mom’s she asked if I would make my “famous” lasagna. She has called me and asked me for my recipe. I always tell her that I use the recipe from the box. No fancy recipe here.

I am thinking of making lasagna for supper tonight or tomorrow. Here is a rough recipe of what I use:

Ingredients

• 9 Lasagna noodles
• 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
• 3/4-1 lb mild sausage
• 1/2 onion or onion flakes
• oil
• garlic, minced, or powder
• salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• parsley
• basil
• All-Purpose seasoning (optional)
• Parmesan Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg
• 15 ounces Ricotta cheese (some people use cottage cheese)
• 1 Jar Pasta sauce
• diced tomatoes (optional)

I will boil the lasagna noodles until al dente (still firm). I will put oil in the pan and saute onions until they are softened. Then I will add in beef/turkey, sausage, and garlic (until my heart is content). I will drain when the meat is browned. Return the meat back on the heat and add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, basil, and All-purpose seasoning (I usually do not use diced tomatoes). I simmer the meat mixture for a few minutes while I prepare the cheese mixture. Mix together one egg, about a cup of Parmesan cheese, about 1+ 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and Ricotta cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of 3 noodles down. Then 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Next spread 1/3 of the meat mixture. Repeat 3 times. When I’m done with that I will put a layer of mozzarella cheese over the entire top. Cover the lasagna with foil. Spray foil to avoid cheese sticking to the foil. Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil, bake for another 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Although I use the same ingredients the measurements vary each time. That is how I make the lasagna my own. So mostly the noodles, meat, egg, and ricotta cheese amounts stay the same. Everything else I just eyeball it just like my grandma did. My family loves it. So my lasagna is my first meal I can cook like my grandma, a little bit of this and a little bit of this and viola!

1. Weisz Adolf, Ida. “Knephla Soup.” Jumbo Jack’s Cookbooks, May 2006. 280. Print. ↩︎