I grew up in Pennsylvania with some seriously strong Pennsylvania Dutch roots, and a lot of what I cook for my family today still comes from the dishes I grew up with. These are the PA Dutch recipes we actually make: my grandmother’s ham and string bean soup and potato filling, the chicken corn soup with rivels my mom used to make, and the apple dumplings I can’t remember a fall without.
They’re simple, hearty recipes made with everyday ingredients. I’ve made a few of them easier for busy weeknights, like letting the soup cook in the crockpot or using crescent rolls for the dumplings, without losing that old-fashioned flavor.
Soups
PA Dutch Ham and String Bean Soup
My PA Dutch grandmother’s recipe and a regular at our Sunday family dinners. Diced ham, fresh green beans, potatoes, onion and garlic cook low and slow in the crockpot, with an optional splash of apple cider vinegar for a tangy finish. It freezes well, too.
Get the PA Dutch ham and string bean soup recipe
PA Dutch Chicken Corn Soup with Rivels
A family recipe I’ve been perfecting since I was a little girl. Homemade broth from a rotisserie chicken is simmered with chicken, sweet corn, carrots, celery and hard-boiled eggs, then finished with rivels, tiny flour-and-egg dumplings dropped right into the soup.
Get the chicken corn soup with rivels recipe
Creamy Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Not a traditional PA Dutch recipe, but it’s my favorite way to use up leftover holiday ham. Ham, potatoes, carrots and sweet corn simmer in one pot with a little cream, and it’s ready in about 45 minutes.
Get the ham and potato corn chowder recipe
Potato Filling
PA Dutch Potato Filling
My grandmother’s recipe and a Pennsylvania Dutch staple we eat every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Creamy mashed potatoes are folded together with toasted bread, butter, celery, onion, parsley and poultry seasoning, then baked.
Get the PA Dutch potato filling recipe
Pie and Dumplings
Sour Cream Apple Pie
A passed-down Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe with a smooth, creamy apple filling and a crumbly cinnamon topping. Our Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without it.
Get the sour cream apple pie recipe
Caramel Apple Dumplings
Apple dumplings were part of every fall growing up, from trips to my great-grandmother’s house to the annual Apple Dumpling Festival. My easy version wraps apple wedges in crescent roll dough, bakes them in brown sugar and cinnamon butter and finishes them with caramel sauce.
Get the caramel apple dumplings recipe
Peach Dumplings
A summer twist on the apple dumplings from my PA Dutch heritage, made with peaches from my peach tree. Just 5 ingredients, baked in a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon sauce and served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Get the peach dumplings recipe
Cranberry Orange Cream Dumplings
My holiday twist on the apple dumplings I grew up with. Crescent rolls are filled with cream cheese and cranberries and topped with a cinnamon orange brown sugar glaze. They’re perfect for Christmas morning.
Get the cranberry orange cream dumplings recipe
Tips for Making PA Dutch Recipes at Home
Don’t skip the rivels. They’re just flour and egg rubbed into small chunks and dropped into the boiling soup, and they’re what makes chicken corn soup taste like the real thing.
Make soup with leftover holiday ham. Both the ham and string bean soup and the ham and potato corn chowder are great ways to use it up, and the string bean soup freezes well.
Use crescent rolls for dumplings. They turn an all-day dessert into one you can make on a weeknight, with apples in the fall, peaches in the summer and cranberries at Christmas.
