German · Authentic-ish German
Maultaschen
516 kcal a serving, against 678 for the traditional version. That is 162 kcal off, or 24%, with 35.5g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Maultaschen are large German dumplings, usually filled with pork and beef mince, bacon, spinach, stale white bread, onions, parsley and egg. The filling is heavily flavoured, the wrappers are plain egg pasta, and the whole thing is boiled in rich beef or chicken broth. They're usually served as they are or fried in butter.
What changed, and what each change costs
Beef and pork mince (650g, full-fat) for turkey mince (500g) and half the bacon (50g)
Minced turkey is the first and easiest fix. Lose the pork and the 15% beef and go for turkey mince. Keeping a little bacon means you don't lose that smoky, meaty note entirely, but most of the animal fat can go.
What it costs you. You lose that deep, fatty background. Turkey mince is never as satisfying, and Swabians wouldn't thank you, but a bit of bacon saves things from tasting too clean. It's a compromise.
Spinach up from 150g to 300g, breadcrumbs down from 120g to 60g
Spinach bulks out the filling and brings flavour, where bread just soaks up fat. Double the spinach and halve the breadcrumbs. This lifts the greens and lowers the stodge. You still need some bread or the filling won't hold.
What it costs you. Maultaschen are meant to be heavy. This makes them lighter and greener, and the filling is a bit looser, but you won't mind if you eat them hot.
Butter for finishing goes down from 50g to 10g
That puddle of brown butter is glorious, but it delivers a staggering punch of fat at the finish. Cut it to a bare knob for a tiny bit of flavour.
What it costs you. No denying this: you won't get the same mouthfeel. The finish is fresher, less rich, and there's no golden pool on the plate.
Homemade pasta dough for 2 eggs and 400g flour swapped to 3 egg whites and 350g flour
Egg yolks bring richness and fat, but most of what holds pasta together is the protein. Using egg whites and cutting back a little on the flour trims a fair chunk of energy and lets you keep the structure.
What it costs you. The wrappers are a little tougher and you miss some of the flavour. Nobody is eating these plain, though, so it's not a disaster.
Beef stock changed to chicken stock
Beef stock is just richer and fatter. Chicken stock does the job and keeps things lighter without losing the point entirely.
What it costs you. The broth is less powerful, and you lose that deep savoury hit, but you can just salt it up a bit if you care that much.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 678 | 516 |
| Protein | 43.8g | 35.5g |
| Fat | 25g | 13.2g |
| Saturated fat | 10.6g | 4g |
| Carbohydrate | 67.7g | 62.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.5g | 6.9g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
Swabians would probably set fire to my house for this recipe, but it hits the brief without being sad. You've got a big, meaty dumpling that fills you up, but with half the fat and more green. It isn't a replacement for the one you get in Stuttgart with brown butter puddling round your plate, but it does the job. The wrappers take a bit more chewing, and the filling is fresher and lighter. You can taste the difference, but you might quite like it. If you truly must have the old version, book a flight.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.