In my “How Do You Eat Eggs” series, I learned about a Hungarian egg pasta called tojásos nokedli that was very simple to make. Reminiscent of a carbonara without the pancetta, this pasta is protein-packed and lightly creamy. I love good pasta, and tojásosnokedli is no exception! 

This recipe comes from Benedek, who hails from Budapest, Hungary. He usually has nokedli as a side dish with stews or goulash, but this egg pasta features this noodle as the starring ingredient. This dish is very popular in Hungary because of its simplicity; most Hungarian cuisine is simple, cheap home cooking made up of basic ingredients, like the flour and eggs used in tojásos nokedli. With only these two add-ins, you have a whole, filling pasta dish! 

This fresh, homemade pasta is a definite comfort meal. It’s like a gnocchi dish without the potato or ravioli without the stuffing. If you need an extra oomph, I’m sure some feta or parmesan cheese would be excellent in this. For this dish, a cheap spaetzle maker might be a good investment. You could also use a cheese grater and lay it flat, as you need the dough to fall through the holes. 

I feel like every region around the world has several versions of comfort pasta. It is one of those universal foods that connects people from all different places, and it is so versatile. Tojásos nokedli is relatively simple, but it is equally as tasty as any one of the kinds of pasta you know and love. 

Nokedli is a simple dough made from flour, water, and eggs. The cooking process was overtly simple, yet I felt a sense of accomplishment from having made such a delicious meal. If you’re intimated by cooking but want to try something new and relatively low-risk, I highly recommend tojásos nokedli.