Älpermagronen Recipe • 10 Tips for cooking Swiss mac n’ cheese

Älpermagronen is a traditional Swiss dish of pasta and potatoes mixed with a cheese sauce and served with applesauce and fried onions. Our family lives in Switzerland and we eat this dish a lot when hiking or skiing in the Swiss alps.

My kids love it so much, I had to learn how to cook it at home, without a Swiss Oma to show me the old ways. Älpermagronen pretty easy to make. But I had a lot of questions that weren’t answered by the typically short and vague German recipes I found online and in cookbooks. So I did some research so I can explain more about the ingredients and methods. At the end there is a simple recipe to follow.

1. Which cheese to use in Älpermagronen

Although most Swiss recipes call for Gruyère, you don’t have to use a specific cheese used to make Älpermagronen. I asked a few Swiss friends and cheese shops and they all said you can use any hard cheese that melts, like Appenzeller. Mountain huts often use a “Bergkäse” (aka mountain cheese) from their region, which accounts for the difference in flavor as you travel around Switzerland. My Swiss friend who teaches at a cooking school told me to use Sprinz, but this doesn’t make any sense as it’s a very hard cheese like Parmesan.

I use a pre-shredded fondue mix of Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois because it’s easy and delicious. My kids are so used to my version that if I use a different cheese, they immediately noticed and are not so happy with it.

Note for U.S. cooks: When I was visiting my parents in San Diego, I wanted to cook Älpermagronen for them. My only grocery options were Super Target and Walmart, which both had the saddest cheese selection – all industrial cheddar and jack. I got a shredded mix and the final dish was so tasteless and rubbery, that I didn’t even serve it. So if possible, go to a nice cheese shop and get proper cheese to make this dish.

2. The right potatoes for Älpermagronen

The classic recipe includes diced potatoes mixed with the pasta. I’ve made it many times without potatoes and it’s fine. But my kids say it’s not Älpergronen unless it includes potatoes and I suppose they are right.

You should use waxy potatoes, which are called “fest kochende Kartoffeln” in German and are usually sold in the green bags (blue bags are starchy, red bags are all-purpose). Waxy potatoes will retain their shape and not dissolve into mush as you stir in the cheese sauce. Dice them small but not too small, as shown here.

3. The right pasta for Älpermagronen

In Switzerland you can buy specific Älper Magronen pasta, which is a small curved pasta. You could also use Hörnli, which short and has a tighter curve, more like U.S. macaroni or elbow pasta. But unless you are aiming for an authentic replication, any small pasta will work in a pinch, including penne and fusilli. Note the cooking time of your pasta so you know when to throw it in the boiling water with the potatoes.

5. Choosing a mixing method

I’ve found four methods in Swiss recipes for making the cheese sauce. I only like one of them. 

* One pot wonder. I use this method because it’s easy, less mess and works every time. You simply toss warm milk and cheese over the cooked pasta and stir until it all comes together. I use an egg in the sauce, which is not traditional but helps bind the sauce. My recipe below uses this method.

Do not try to completely melt the cheese in the milk before adding it to the pasta. When I tried this, the cheese clumped up and separated from the liquids, like a failed fondue. I rescued it by adding a little cornstarch mixed with water and stirring constantly over medium heat until it came back together and the final dish was fine.  

Layer and bake. Lots of Swiss recipes have you toss the grated cheese with the cooked pasta and potatoes and place it all in the casserole dish. Then you pour milk/cream over the top and bake until the cheese melts. This never works for me. The milk/cream doesn’t combine at all with the cheese and just sits at the bottom of the dish. Don’t even bother.

Braise in milk. A few Swiss recipes have you cook the pasta and potatoes in milk (instead of water) until they have absorbed almost all the milk. Then you mix in the grated cheese and bake until melted. This method risks mushy pasta and potatoes, not my favorite.

Thickened cheese sauce. American mac n’ cheese recipes usually have you make a béchamel sauce with cheese, aka Mornay sauce. This sauce is thickened with flour, which helps it bind better to the pasta. I really like this method, which produces a smooth, creamy sauce that evenly coats the pasta. But the sauce can feel a little heavy and too rich and doesn’t really taste like Swiss Älpermagronen.

6. Do you have to bake the Älpermagronen?

Baking is optional. I usually serve Älpermagronen directly from the pot to save time. But for a nicer presentation, transfer the cheesy pasta into a casserole dish, sprinkle with a little more cheese, and broil it briefly to crisp up the top. Baked in individual dishes is even nicer.

Note: Don’t bake it too long. If you do, the cheese can start to separate, with the oil pooling at the bottom of the dish. This happens more often with the traditional method which doesn’t have a binder of flour or egg.

7. Applesauce – do I have to make my own?

No. I give you complete permission to serve your favorite applesauce straight from the jar. Since I cook this dish about once a week for lunch (Swiss kids come home for lunch everyday, remember?), I don’t always want to dirty another pot just for applesauce.

But if you want to make your own, it couldn’t be easier and it can be done in the same time it takes the potatoes to cook. Just peel and roughly chop the apples (at least 1 per person). Dump them in a small pot. Pour in a bit of water or juice (not too much, the apples will release a lot of liquid) and cook over medium heat with the lid on (careful, they might boil over).

In about 10 mins, the apples will be soft enough to mash or puree with a stick blender. Add sugar if necessary and perhaps a little cinnamon. My kids don’t like hot applesauce (do you?), so better to make the applesauce ahead of time so it has time to cool down before service.

Which apples? I usually do a mix of sour apples, like Braeburn or Cox Orange, with sweet ones, like Pink Lady or Gala. Swiss people will always tell you to use Boskop, but I don’t like the texture.

8. Should you fry your own onions?

Älpermagronen absolutely must be topped with fried onions or it’s just cheesy pasta. We judge a restaurant by how generous they are with the fried onions. I suggest you simply buy the pre-made fried onions you can find in the spice section of the grocery. Tasty and easy.

I have fried my own onions, but I don’t think it’s worth it. It makes a big mess, they burn very easily, and they usually don’t get very crispy. But if you feel motivated, go for it!

9. Speck or bacon?

Speck is smoked pork, often purchased in packs of little diced bits. It’s raw so you need to fry it up before eating. Occasionally at restaurants, a little speck is folded into the Älpermagronen, not as a garnish. If you are vegetarian, you should definitely ask because they probably won’t indicate that on the menu. I always serve it on the side so each person can decide for themselves.

As Americans, we prefer bacon to speck. I just fry up a couple slices per person, crumble it and serve it as an optional garnish. 

10. Personalizing the recipe

The recipe I provide below is simply a starting point based on what I typically do. But you can easily adjust it to your preferences. You can add more cheese or use more milk to control the liquidy-ness of the final product.

If you have big eaters, you should make a bit more per person than my recipe below. The Swiss recipe I used as reference calls for 70g pasta and 100g potatoes per person. But for my family, that is way too much food and we end up with 2 portion of leftovers. I usually use 50g pasta, 50g potato, and 75-100g cheese per person. 

Älpermagronen

Yield: 4 Servings

Älpermagronen is a traditional Swiss dish of pasta and potatoes mixed with cheese and served with applesauce and fried onions. Often served in mountain restaurants in German-speaking Switzerland. Usually made with Gruyère but can be made with any hard melting cheese.

You can easily adjust this base recipe by using more cheese and/or milk to control the consistency of the final product.

Print

Ingredients

For the pasta

Toggle ingredient group

• 200 g pasta - Älpermagronen, macaroni or other small pasta
• 300 g cheese, shredded - Gruyère, Appenzeller or other hard melting cheese
• 100-200 g waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
• 100 ml milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sides

Toggle ingredient group

• Applesauce - if homemade, at least 1 apple per person 
• Fried onions
• Speck or bacon, fried

Instructions

1. (Optional) If you want to bake the pasta before serving, preheat oven to 220 C.
2. In a large pot, boil water with 1 tsp salt.
3. Add the diced potatoes. The potatoes need to cook for 10 mins. Check the cooking time of your pasta and add the pasta to the boiling water at the appropriate time. For example, if your pasta needs 5 mins, cook the potatoes for 5 mins, then add the pasta. Then both are ready at the same time.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, & salt.
5. Drain the pasta/potatoes, then return them to boiling pot off heat. Turn heat to low as you may need it to help melt the cheese in a minute.
6. Pour milk/egg mixture over the pasta and stir to combine.
7. Add cheese to pasta and stir until cheese is melted. Place over low heat if necessary to help cheese melt.
8. (Optional) Transfer the cheesy pasta to an oven-proof casserole dish. Sprinkle with a handful of cheese. Bake in oven for about 5 mins until the top is slightly brown and crispy.
9. Serve pasta topped with fried onions and speck/bacon. Serve applesauce on the side.