I had 15 minutes to get dinner on the table before our family had to take off to run an errand. Ā I didn’t have time to thaw any meat or chicken, so that meant it would need to be something meatless. Ā What are some of your favorite go-to, ready-in-15-minutes meatless dishes? Ā I opened the fridge and perused the shelves and drawers. Ā Nothing was standing out. Ā My eyes finally rested on some leek. Ā So I grabbed that and put it on the counter. Ā Leek. Ā Leek dinner. Ā Dinner with leek. Okay, it was a start. Ā Next I opened the pantry door and scanned the shelves. Ā What would you grab? Ā Well, the clock was ticking and I saw pasta. Ā Pasta and leek. Ā I could work with that.
Before I had figured out what I was going to do with the leek and pasta, I was chopping and rinsing the leek. Ā I heated a skillet, melted some butter and started sauteing the leek. Ā I love the smell of sauteed leek and I allowed the aroma to guide my hands to the other ingredients. Ā Within a few minutes I had a luscious creamy leek sauce for my pasta. Ā After just 15 minutes dinner was served and everyone at the table loved it, kids included. Ā A sprinkle of freshly grated Asiago cheese added the final touch and all tummies were satisfied. Ā Super simple, super quick, and really very tasty.
Leek is such a wonderful thing that it needs very little embellishing. Ā Butter and cream is the perfect accompaniment and this simple sauce is heavenly.
Be sure to thoroughly rinse the leek as it’s notorious for trapping dirt inside of its layers. Ā Slice it, wash it in a colander and then drain. Ā Cook the pasta while you prepare the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking simply heat the butter in a skillet and saute the leek until it’s soft, 5-7 minutes, add the flour and stir to incorporate, and stir in the cream, milk, bouillon, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer covered for about 5 minutes until thickened. Ā That’s it!
Then simply toss the pasta in the sauce and serve immediately with some freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.
- 1 large stalk leek, sliced, thoroughly washed and drained
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon granules
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups cooked al dente whole wheat spaghetti
- Freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese for serving
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the leek until soft, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute. Stir in the cream and milk and add the bouillon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.
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Cori Landon says
Made this last night and we loved it! Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, so glad it was a hit, Cori!
Kate says
Yummy, this sounds fantastic!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Kate! Give it a try and you’ll love it!
adinalun says
So simple yet so appetizing. Have to remember this next time I buy leeks. I just love leeks, don’t eat them often enough because my husband usually wrinkles his nose at the sight of them (same thing with zucchini, aubergines, fennel… men), but sometimes I just don’t care.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I know, I love leek, too! I can understand zucchini, fennel and especially aubergine, but what could there possibly be offensive about leek? :) He probably won’t even know what it is when you make this – he’ll just see some green and assume it’s green onions or something else. If not, you can enjoy it by yourself! ;)