One of the best reasons to visit Ohio’s Amish Country is the food. The Amish are known for hearty, delicious, family-style meals. At weddings they often dine on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salad, cake or cupcakes, fruit, and ice cream. With just a few recipes, you can enjoy Amish cooking in your own home. Here are a few to get you started. Donna’s Premier Lodging includes an authentic recipe every month in their newsletter. Sign up here to add to your list of Amish cooking recipes.
When you stay at Donna’s Premier Lodging, you are treated to a hot Amish-inspired breakfast every morning. Recreating these recipes together at home is a great way to remember all the fun you had on your Ohio Amish Country getaway.
Amish-Style Mashed Potatoes
This one is a favorite of the innkeeper. Her family has been making mashed potatoes this way since she was a little girl.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- ½ stick butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
Directions:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks.
- Put the potato chunks in a medium kettle. Add 1 cup of water.
- Simmer the potato chunks until they are tender when pierced by a fork.
- Drain and mash the potato chunks.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the mashed potato chunks. Mash again until everything is nice and fluffy.
- Some types of potatoes may require more milk to get the desired consistency. Add small amounts of extra milk while continuing to mash if necessary.
- Served with browned butter or gravy. Delicious!
Amish Noodle Casserole
Casseroles are the ultimate easy dinner. This recipe makes enough for the whole family to have a second helping. This particular recipe follows the Amish tradition but you can play around to make it your own. Use chicken instead of beef, try a different style of noodle, add vegetables, or use a different flavor of condensed soup. Play around with the recipe until your find your family’s favorite version.
Ingredients:
- 500 g egg noodles (or pasta of your choice)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, crushed
- 750 grams lean ground beef
- 600 grams condensed tomato soup
- 600 grams condensed mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add water to a large pot and set to high on the stove.
- Spray a large oven dish with cooking spray.
- Once the water is boiling, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package.
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in the pan until soft.
- Add the ground beef to the onion and garlic mixture. Sauté until beef is cooked through.
- Drain noodles once cooked and return to the pot.
- Add cooked meat, onion, and garlic mixture to the noodles and stir.
- Add both soups and the milk to the noodle mixture. Stir thoroughly.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put entire mixture in oven dish. Sprinkle the top with paprika and parsley.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Amish Peanut Butter Spread
Peanut butter is one of the world’s perfect foods. The Amish have found a way to make it even better. Sometimes called “church spread,” this peanut butter recipe has tasty uses beyond a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Try it alone on bread or add a dollop to the top of your ice cream.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup marshmallow crème
Directions:
- Mix all three ingredients in a bowl until completely mixed together.
- Enjoy!
- Store any leftovers (if there are any) in an air-tight container.
No-Bake Amish Dessert
Do you ever find yourself craving a cool, refreshing dessert? The Amish have perfected this dessert that is great for family gatherings or pot lucks.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (can substitute 8 ounces of Cool Whip if you prefer)
- 2 cans pie filling (cherry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry are great options)
Directions:
- Crush the graham crackers into crumbs.
- Mix the crumbs with the melted butter and sugar to form the crust.
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a 9X13” dish. Set the dish aside.
- Beat the cream cheese until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the cream cheese and mix well.
- Add heavy whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture. Beat on high speed until thick and creamy. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spoon to get consistent creaminess throughout.
- Use a spoon to put large dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust. Carefully spread to make an even layer.
- Spread your pie filling of choice on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Keep leftovers refrigerated.






