Túrós Csusza (Hungarian Pasta with Farmer's Cheese and Bacon)

About This Recipe

Túrós Csusza is a real, traditional Hungarian dish, known as Hungarian Pasta with Farmer's Cheese and Bacon. Wide pasta tossed with fresh farmer's cheese, sour cream and crispy bacon bits, a beloved Hungarian comfort dish.\n\nTúrós csusza is a traditional Hungarian home-cooked pasta dish that showcases túró, a fresh farmer's cheese similar to cottage cheese, historically a way for rural households to use dairy products from their own animals.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Hungarian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gwide egg noodles or pasta
• 200 gbacon(diced)
• 300 gtúró (Hungarian farmer's cheese) or dry cottage cheese
• 150 mlsour cream
• 1 tspfine sea salt(to taste)
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspchopped fresh dill(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pasta

   Boil the wide egg noodles in salted water until al dente, then drain, reserving a splash of the cooking water.

2. 2

   Fry the bacon

   Fry the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp and its fat has rendered, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Combine cheese and cream

   In a large bowl, mix the farmer's cheese with sour cream until smooth and creamy.

4. 4

   Toss the pasta

   Add the hot, drained pasta to the cheese mixture along with a splash of the reserved pasta water, tossing until the cheese melts slightly and coats every strand.

5. 5

   Add bacon

   Stir in most of the crispy bacon and its rendered fat, saving some for topping.

6. 6

   Serve

   Season with salt and pepper, top with remaining bacon and fresh dill if using, and serve immediately while hot.

Variations

• •

  A vegetarian version skips the bacon and adds extra butter for richness.

• •

  Some households sprinkle with fresh chives instead of dill.

• •

  Add a fried egg on top for a heartier, one-plate meal.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions