Krautfleckerl – Austrian Noodles with Cabbage
Krautfleckerl – a classic dish in Viennese and Austrian home cooking – is traditionally vegetarian and can easily be made vegan. Krautfleckerl is something special – savory with a hint of sweetness – yet simple to make and low-budget. As a native of Vienna, I grew up with this comforting dish and know exactly how it should taste. In this recipe, I’ll guide you step by step to make the best original Viennese Krautfleckerl.
What are Krautfleckerl …?
Krautfleckerl is a hearty, simple, and budget-friendly typical Austrian dish that consists mainly of pasta, cabbage, and onions.
For Krautfleckerl, you ideally need Fleckerl, which are small, square Austrian pasta shapes. If you want to make it vegan, check the ingredients to be on the safe side, as they are often made with egg.
In Austria, the whole grain Fleckerl from “Recheis” are vegan. There is also spelt Fleckerl from “Wolf” at Billa Plus, and the organic store “Denns2 is said to have vegan Fleckerl as well. Hofer also has or had some from its own brand “Zurück zum Ursprung” (I haven’t seen them in my store for ages, but I hope they are still available elsewhere). Vegan Fleckerl pasta can also be ordered from meinbernd.at or stanglnudeln.at.
Can’t find Fleckerl? Use small square pasta if available, farfalle, or small pieces of lasagna sheets, tagliatelle, or pappardelle (even better, as they are broader). If using lasagna, pappardelle, or tagliatelle, cut or break them into small pieces before cooking.
Original Krautfleckerl
Yes, I’m going out on a limb here. Because what exactly is “original Krautfleckerl”? There isn’t just one original version, like the Sacher Torte from Hotel Sacher.
The fact that there isn’t just one original version is also made clear in a (German) article on derStandard.at, which is about the search for the perfect Krautfleckerl. This well-researched comparison highlights the differences in preparation and ingredients.
As a native Viennese, however, I dare to say what really good Viennese Krautfleckerl should taste like. And I have already received a lot of praise for my version.
Many years ago, my starting point was the Krautfleckerl recipe from the cookbook “Morgen bist du Hausfrau” (Tomorrow you’ll be a housewife), which was published in the late 1960s or early 1970s as a textbook for teaching and was given to me by my mother ages ago. Nowadays, the version with the green cover, like the one I have, is often sold for a hefty sum.
Over the years, I tweaked it a little here and there until I came up with my current original Viennese Krautfleckerl recipe.
Vegan Home Cooking
As mentioned at the beginning, Krautfleckerl is usually vegetarian or vegan if it is prepared without bacon, lard, butter, or anything else that could easily “ruin” a vegan dish.
Perhaps in the past, in the old Viennese style, lard was often used as a fat. Today, this is no longer common practice, or so I thought, until I came across the article from derStandard.at linked in the previous chapter.
In Viennese and Austrian cuisine, beef broth is also used, for example, even in potato salad (here you can find a vegan recipe for Austrian potato salad). Therefore, to be on the safe side, if you are visiting Austria or Vienna (or already living here) I would ask in the restaurant whether the Krautfleckerl is vegan.
Or back to the topic: just cook it yourself, because this original Krautfleckerl recipe doesn’t use any animal “products” and is still full of flavor.
How are Krautfleckerl made?
Preparing Krautfleckerl is very simple. Basically, finely chopped onion is caramelized in a pan with a little sugar (opinions differ on this, from none, to a little, to what I consider far too much – 70 grams are approximately 6 tablespoons of sugar), then the cabbage is added and sautéed for a while before cooked pasta is mixed in.
In addition, caraway seeds are essential in Krautfleckerl – in my opinion. I don’t count myself among the great caraway lovers, but in my opinion it cannot be omitted, it is half the Krautfleckerl rent and simply harmonizes too well with the cabbage.
In addition to sugar and caraway seeds, you will need salt, pepper, a little parsley, vinegar, and, as I like to do, a little (homemade) vegetable stock powder to season your Krautfleckerl.
Good to know …
Usually, at least in Austria, Krautfleckerl are prepared with white cabbage. From the white cabbage the outer leaves will be removed, the stalk cut out, and the cabbage will be cut into fine strips. But there are also Krautfleckerl versions with, for example, sauerkraut or red cabbage. I’m sure it tastes great too, it’s just something else than Viennese or Austrian Krautfleckerl.
Krautfleckerl are an independent dish and not a side dish or need a side dish. But: They are often served with a salad, which goes quite well. Preferably something simple, like a leaf salad. What I also sometimes do, is eating Krautfleckerl with white yogurt or vegan sour cream, a delicious combo! Then there is paprika vegan butter: some paprika powder roasted in vegan butter, inspired by the Turkish pasta dish “Kayseri Mantiu” or the Turkish lentil soup “Mercimek Çorbası“.
If you like it heartier and want to spice things up a bit, you could mix in fried smoked tofu. This is how protein gets into the food.
According to the German Wikipedia page, Krautfleckerl are often eaten with bread. I’ve never seen that before, so please forget that immediately.
Krautfleckerl should be nice and lightly browned, which is achieved in two ways, namely with the caramelized onion and by sautéing the cabbage in the pan for a long time (up to an hour).
You might also like to eat …
Kraufleckerl: Austrian Noodles with Cabbage (vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 onion large (or 2 smaller ones)
- 1 kg white cabbage a smaller head
- 250 g "Fleckerl" pasta vegan (see notes for substitutes)
- 4 tbsp oil e.g. rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds *)
- 3/4 tsp salt plus 1 tsp salt for the pasta cooking water
- 1 tsp (homemade) vegetable stock powder
- 1 tbsp vinegar e.g. apple cider vinegar
- pepper
- some fresh parsley
Instructions
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, cut the cabbage in half, then quarter it, cut out the stalk, and cut the quarters (if necessary, cut them in half again, i.e., into eighths) crosswise into small pieces.
- Cut the onion into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a big pan and sauté the onion until translucent.
- Next, add the sugar and let it caramelize a bit.
- Now come the caraway seeds and cabbage. Stir.
- Cover and let steam, until the cabbage turns slightly brown. This can take up to an hour. Stir occasionally. Don't worry if there will be any liquid. It comes from the cabbage, in the end everything will be perfect.
- Sometime after about 30 minutes stir in the salt, vegetable stock powder, and vinegar. And keep on stirring occasionally.
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, minus one minute: remove the pasta from the boiling water a minute earlier, as it might absorb some liquid from the cabbage. Strain and mix with the cabbage.
- Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Video
@plantbased.redhead 🇦🇹 Krautfleckerl / 🇺🇸 Austrian Cabbage Noodles 🥬 Krautfleckerl Rezept einer gebürtigen Wienerin, die weiß wie wirklich gute Krautfleckerl schmecken. Diese Wiener Krautfleckerl sind vegetarisch bzw. vegan, einfach, preiswert und herzhaft. 🥬 Krautfleckerl recipe from a native Viennese who knows how really good ones taste. Krautfleckerl is a traditional Austrian dish of noodles (fleckerl pasta) with caramelized cabbage – vegan, simple, budget-friendly, and comforting. 👉 Rezept / Recipe: plantbasedredhead.com 🌱👩🦰 #plantbased #veganrecipes #vegansoftitktok #wienerisch #viennese
♬ Originalton – ThatsAustria
Notes
- Make sure that the fleckerl are vegan, unfortunately, many are made with eggs.
- If you can’t find any (vegan) Fleckerl to buy, you could use farfalle instead, or small pieces of tagliatelle, pappardelle (even better because they are wider) or lasagne sheets: break them into small pieces before cooking.
- For example, a simple green leaf salad goes well with Krautfleckerl. Also, check out my other tips in the post itself.
Great. could you pls also maybe “create” a vegan version of Zwiebelrostbraten?
Glad you liked the Krautfleckerl. 🙂
Unfortunately, I can’t help with Zwiebelrostbraten. I never liked meat and never ate Zwiebelrostbraten in its “original” version. That’s why you won’t find “meaty” dishes on my site.