Spaghetti with Leek Alfredo

I had 15 minutes to get dinner on the table before our family had to take off to run an errand.  I didn’t have time to thaw any meat or chicken, so that meant it would need to be something meatless.  What are some of your favorite go-to, ready-in-15-minutes meatless dishes?  I opened the fridge and perused the shelves and drawers.  Nothing was standing out.  My eyes finally rested on some leek.  So I grabbed that and put it on the counter.  Leek.  Leek dinner.  Dinner with leek. Okay, it was a start.  Next I opened the pantry door and scanned the shelves.  What would you grab?  Well, the clock was ticking and I saw pasta.  Pasta and leek.  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.  I heated a skillet, melted some butter and started sauteing the leek.  I love the smell of sauteed leek and I allowed the aroma to guide my hands to the other ingredients.  Within a few minutes I had a luscious creamy leek sauce for my pasta.  After just 15 minutes dinner was served and everyone at the table loved it, kids included.  A sprinkle of freshly grated Asiago cheese added the final touch and all tummies were satisfied.  Super simple, super quick, and really very tasty.

Leek is such a wonderful thing that it needs very little embellishing.  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.  Slice it, wash it in a colander and then drain.  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.  That’s it!

Then simply toss the pasta in the sauce and serve immediately with some freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with Leek Alfredo

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

: Kimberly Killebrew, www.daringgourmet.com

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Serve immediately with freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

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