A recipe for Milchnudeln (German Milk Noodles)! Noodles are simmered in milk until tender and sweetened with honey or sugar.
Sunday Supper
Today, #SundaySupper is getting together with a collection of comforting soup and stew recipes! I am joining in with one of my favorite comfort foods, Milchnudeln (German Milk Noodles).
My original plan was to actually feature the Milchnudeln for last week’s event: Comfort Food Pasta Recipes, but traveling and some family stuff got in the way.
Luckily, it still works for this week’s event!
Milchnudeln
Milchnudeln in its simplest form are noodles cooked in or added to a milk soup. Variations have spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
I also have the version from Estonia on the blog: Makaroni-Piimasupp.
Today, I am sharing the preparation I remember growing up. Noodles are cooked in hot milk until tender with the option of adding a little sweetener.
I have seen others cook the noodles separately, then add them to the hot milk.
I always loved topping the soup with a sprinkling of vanilla sugar, but regular granulated sugar and honey work well. Sometimes I also add a little ground cinnamon.
I have been making Milchnudeln a lot more lately with two young children at home. It comes together quickly and easily with only 2-3 ingredients and one pot.
Use your favorite past shape, but small, finer pasta work best. For these photos, I used Farfalline (little butterflies).
Serve the soup once it has reached the desired consistency. As it sits, the pasta will continue to absorb more milk and thicken. If it too thick, add a little more milk.
Notable Ingredients
Vanilla sugar adds a wonderful light vanilla flavor to the Milchnudeln. You can buy small packets of vanilla sugar in the European section of many larger supermarkets, but it is easy to make at home.
Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out vanilla beans. Some use powdered sugar in place of the granulated sugar.
Comfort Food Soup and Stew Recipes
Superb Soups
- “Make it Your Own” Soup Bar by The Freshman Cook
- Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup by Our Good Life
- Chicken and Dumplings by Palatable Pastime
- Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Pies and Plots
- Habitant Pea Soup by What Smells So Good?
- Meatball and Orzo Soup by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
Stupendous Soups
- Milchnudeln (German Milk Noodles) by Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Mushroom Fennel Soup by Caroline’s Cooking
- Crock Pot Chicken Posole by My Imperfect Kitchen
- Slow Cooker Smoky Chicken-Potato Soup by The Weekend Gourmet
Milchnudeln (German Milk Noodles) Recipe
Adapted from Baltic Maid
Milchnudeln (German Milk Noodles)
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups (1 liter) milk
- 8 ounces (227 grams) small pasta
- Pinch salt
- Granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, or honey to taste, optional
Instructions
- In a deep saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- Once the milk is boiling, add the pasta and salt and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through and tender.
- Serve immediately, sweetened with sugar or honey if desired.
Sarah
Yum! This reminds me of a lighter, unbaked kugel… gotta try this with buckwheat honey!
Liz
I’ve never heard of this before, but it definitely sounds like yummy comfort food!
Laura Dembowski
I have never seen a recipe like this before. So unique!
Lauren
I was just thinking about my girl and her health! Does this mean she’s gaining now?
This pasta sounds so fun!
Peter
I was weaned on this right after WWII in Berlin Germany. Have not had it since, but still remember the sweetness.
Deb
Can’t wait, grew up with milk soup, my Grandma was Czech.
Chichi
This sure looks creamy and delicious. Reminds me of a dish in Ghanaian chiding with rice and milk. Would love to try it out.
Biana
This sounds like an interesting breakfast idea! Looking forward to trying it.
Lima Ekram
I am originally from Bangladesh and we have a similar dish called shemai – really enjoyed the post and can’t wait to try it!
Jere Cassidy
This recipe is new to me and so interesting eating the noodles sweet. This is how my mother used to make rice, so pretty much the same concept. I am trying this recipe,
Susan
Love this. My mother is from Germany so I had this a lot growing up. Good stuff. A real treat and good use of left over noodles.
Tara
Definitely the perfect use for leftover noodles! This continues to be one of my favorite comfort foods.
mike moran
My mom used to add a teaspoon/tablespoon (not sure on amount could depend on the amount of noodles one is making), of flour, (as a thickening agent), also added a teaspoon of vanilla. once done cooking and in a bowl, we added cinnamon sugar as a topping.
mike moran
Mom was from Germany and she was made this by her mom, then passed it on to us as kids.. LOVED IT!! especially during the colder months of the year, warmed you from the inside out. I just made a pot this am. Oh, the memories. 🙂
Tara
Such wonderful memories Mike! Thanks for sharing! It is so good with the cinnamon.
Gretchen Bagley
My mom made a version of this—not sure if it was her family’s recipe or my dad’s. Ours wasn’t sweet. Instead we sauté onions in butter until soft. Then we add the cooked noodles and warm them. Pour over some milk and continue to cook until the whole dish is hot. Mom’s family is German Swiss. Dad’s is Slovak.
Alexandra
Hi, so nice to see this here. I`m thickening it with vanilla pudding mix (starch with vanilla) with an added egg yolk and some brown sugar. The egg white is beaten and pulled under just before serving. My daughters like to add some cinnamon sugar.
All the best
Alex
Marianne M Jean
My mom was German and made this all the time. She always added corn starch to and it taste like pudding. Made this all the time for my girls and they loved it.