Oktoberfest Bake

I found this in the "Aldi" flyer and website. I wasn't too sure about making this but I thought what the heck I'll give it a try. Glad I did. Smelled good while cooking and tasted great. I didn't have an apple and I used cheddar cheese instead of Swiss. When the Spaetzle was done I chopped into smaller pieces. My neighbor came over after supper and couldn't stop saying "mmmm that smells good".

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 8  ounces spaetzle noodles
• 6  slices  grandessa signature center cut bacon, chopped
• 1  medium onion, diced
• 1  apple, cored, peeled and diced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon iodized salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 16  ounces  smoked  bratwursts, sliced
• 8  ounces  happy farms cream cheese
• 2  cups sauerkraut, German Style
• 6  slices  happy farms swiss cheese, chopped
•  cooking spray
• 4  tablespoons  countryside creamery unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Lightly boil the spaetzle for 10-12 minutes, drain and reserve.
3. In a medium frying pan, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve. Add onion, apple, salt and pepper to pan drippings. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add bratwurst and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes or until heated through.
4. Lower heat, add cream cheese and reserved bacon to the pan. Continue stirring until cream cheese is blended. Remove from heat and stir in sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and spaetzle.
5. Coat a 9 x 12 pan with cooking spray. Add mixture to pan, top with pats of butter.
6. Bake covered, for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.