Easy Slovak Haluski

The origin of Haluski (pronounced ha-loosh-key) is disputed, but Poles, Slovaks, Ukrainians and Hungarians can claim it in some form. It’s a simple comfort dish consisting of egg noodles or potato dumplings sautéed with cabbage, onions, pork, and sheep or goat cheese. The cuts of pork you use, the type of cheese you use, and the use of noodles or dumplings vary by region.

American immigrant haluski is made using ingredients more easily found in the United States, and often uses noodles. This recipe is a simpler version of Haluski made in the American immigrant style. This is not the authentic version of Haluski you’ll find in Eastern Europe, as many of the ingredients are not commonly found in the US. Slovakian-style haluski uses cheese, which is not usually used in other Eastern European countries such as Poland and Ukraine. If you’re interested in giving it a try, we’ve included some information on making a more traditional Slovak Haluski. No matter how you decide to make it, haluski is an easy-to-make comfort food that requires only a handful of ingredients.

How do I make traditional Slovak potato dumplings for my haluski?

In the US, Haluski is usually made with egg noodles or even gnocchi for a quick and easy meal. A traditional Slovak recipe is made with potato dumplings, similar to German spaghetti. To make your own traditional Slovak potato dumplings you will need:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled
• 3+ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk

Make the dough by grating the potatoes on the smallest shredding option on a cheese grater. Squeeze out excess water, then place the crumbs in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs and milk and mix until a dough forms, adding more flour if necessary to a workable consistency. Divide dough into 6 portions. On a floured surface, roll out each dough portion into a long rope or snake shape. Cut snakes into 1/4-inch wide “pillow” or dough ball sections. Set the cut dumplings aside until ready to cook. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, cook the potato dumplings for 3 minutes per batch. Remove from water with a slotted spoon.

Can I use bacon instead of pancetta?

Yes! Bacon is an acceptable bacon substitute in this recipe. It creates more fat and grease, so we recommend skipping the butter (or drastically reducing the amount) in this recipe and just cooking the diced bacon in a pan and letting the cabbage and onion sit in the grease Fried.

If you liked this recipe, you might also be interested in some of our other Eastern European favorites: