Ham and egg noodles are a simple German dish that can be whipped up in 10 minutes. It’s less refined than the Italian spaghetti carbonara but I wouldn’t say it’s less delicious. The eggs in the German version are usually cooked through but that doesn’t make the dish dry or uncomfortable to eat.
If you want to go the extra mile and make your own noodles for this dish, you can follow my guide on how to make ribbon noodles. It has been published as part of my basics series.
The sauce for these noodles is very simple. You can prepare it while the noodles cook. It’s important that you use a nicely flavored ham for this dish as the meat is the main flavor carrier. If you don’t like ham you can also use bacon. However, in Germany lean ham is the preferred choice for these noodles.
The onion is also an important flavor carrier and you shouldn’t omit it. Onions are the key aromatic of Southern German cuisine and are used extensively across all kinds of dishes ranging from goulash to onion cake.
Table of Contents
How to add the eggs to your ham and egg noodles
I like the eggs to form small curds. That’s why I whisk them together with heavy cream, nutmeg, and black pepper before adding them to the noodles. I got to admit that ham and egg noodles don’t look as sexy as a glossy smooth carbonara, but they should definitely be set. At least if you want to recreate the way most Germans prepare this dish. In the end, it’s of course up to you how you like your eggs cooked.
The chopped parsley should be mixed into the dish at the very last second of cooking to preserve its flavor. These noodles can be a whole dish by themselves, however, I think they taste great with a nice cabbage or cucumber salad on the side.
Ingredients
For cooking the noodles:
- 4 servings ribbon noodles, about 12 ounces (340 g) dry weight
- salt
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 ounces (140 g) cooked ham slices, cut into small squares
- 1 small onion, finely minced
- 4 eggs, size M
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup finely chopped curly parsley
Instructions
Cook the noodles:
- Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and set the noodles aside.
Prepare the sauce:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and 1/4 cup of the reserved noodle-cooking water. Season to taste with nutmeg and black pepper.
- Heat the butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the ham and onion and sweat for 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the ham has lightly browned.
- Add the drained noodles and stir briefly. Then, stir in the egg mixture and stir-fry the noodles briefly until the eggs have set. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
So yummy 😍
Thanks a lot! Ham and egg noodles is one of my favorite pasta dishes😋!
Ohh wow that’s amazing 🤗☺️