Classic Maultaschen: Swabian Stuffed Pasta
shared by Nibblore Deutsch
These classic Swabian Maultaschen pair tender homemade pasta with a juicy filling of beef, pork, spinach and milk-soaked bread. Parsley, marjoram and nutmeg give them their distinctive savoury flavour. Gently poaching the parcels in broth keeps the pasta intact and the filling tender. • Squeeze the spinach and soaked bread thoroughly; excess liquid makes the filling soft and the parcels harder to seal. • Keep the dough covered whenever you are not working with it so the edges do not dry out. • Cook one Maultasche first as a test. If it opens, brush the remaining parcels with more egg white and press their edges firmly closed again. • Do not let the broth boil vigorously, as strong movement can split the pasta parcels. • Instead of fresh spinach, use 100 g frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed very thoroughly. • Replace the coarse sausage meat with an additional 80 g minced pork and 1 extra pinch of salt. • For a firmer, more robust pasta dough, replace 100 g of the plain flour with durum wheat flour. Store cooked Maultaschen in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, place them on a tray without broth until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat chilled or frozen Maultaschen in barely simmering broth for about 8 or 15 minutes respectively, until piping hot throughout.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
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Save recipeIngredients
- 300 gplain flour, plus extra for rolling
- 3medium eggs
- 1 tbspwater, plus 1 tbsp more if needed
- 1 tspsalt
- 1day-old bread roll, about 60 g
- 100 mlmilk, lukewarm
- 150 gfresh spinach leaves
- 1small onion, finely diced
- 1 tbspbutter
- 200 gminced beef
- 150 gminced pork
- 80 gcoarse raw pork sausage, casing removed
- 1medium egg
- 2 tbspflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ tspdried marjoram
- ¼ tspfreshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ tspsalt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
- 1egg white, beaten with 1 tsp water
- 2 lstrong beef or meat broth
- 2 tbspfinely sliced chives, to serve
Instructions
- 1To make the pasta dough, combine the flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add three eggs and 1 tbsp water, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and firm. If the dough is still crumbly after 5 minutes, work in the second tablespoon of water 1 teaspoon at a time. Cover and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 2Meanwhile, cut the bread roll into small cubes, pour over the lukewarm milk and soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze out thoroughly, then break it into small pieces with your fingers.
- 3Wash the spinach and place it in a saucepan while still wet. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until wilted. Rinse under cold water, squeeze very thoroughly and chop finely. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat and gently cook the onion for 5 minutes, until translucent; leave to cool completely.
- 4Place the minced beef, minced pork, sausage meat, soaked bread, spinach, onion, one egg, parsley, marjoram, nutmeg, 0.75 tsp salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix with clean hands for 2 minutes, until the filling begins to bind. Refrigerate until needed.
- 5Divide the dough in half and keep one half covered. On a floured work surface, roll the other half into a rectangle about 20 × 60 cm and just under 1 mm thick. Alternatively, roll it in batches to setting 6 on a manual pasta machine. Trim the edges straight.
- 6Arrange half the filling in 6 equal mounds, spaced about 2 cm apart, along the lower lengthwise half of the dough. Lightly brush the gaps and edges with the beaten egg white. Fold the upper half of the dough over the filling, press out the air around each mound and firmly seal the spaces between them. Cut into 6 rectangular Maultaschen and press the edges closed again. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make 12 Maultaschen in total.
- 7Bring the broth to a boil in a wide pot, then reduce it to 85–90°C; it should barely simmer, not boil vigorously. Gently lower in the Maultaschen in two batches and poach each batch for 10–12 minutes. They are ready when they float, the pasta is tender and the filling reaches at least 72°C at the centre.
- 8Using a slotted spoon, divide the Maultaschen among four deep bowls. Ladle over the hot broth, sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.