Caramelized Leek Pasta (2024)

Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian · November 1, 2023

This recipe is for everyone who loves leeks, and really really loves to make sure they get the most out of them! In this Caramelized Leek Pasta, both the leek whites and the leek greens serve a purpose. The greens get quickly blanched so they stay vibrant, while the leek whites are cooked down and caramelized until they are rich and sweet. When mixed with a creamy sauce, it’s a heavenly dinner, yet so simple. This is the perfect way to enjoy leeks where nothing goes to waste!

The ingredients you’ll need for this leek pasta

Leeks aren’t usually one of those ingredients that you use in every dish like a staple (unless you really love leeks!), so it can be hard to know what to do with leftovers. But this dish uses whole leeks so there are no stragglers lying around your fridge! Here’s what you’ll need for this cozy pasta dinner:

• 2largeleeks,very well cleaned
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3tablespoonssalted butter
• 3tablespoonsall-purpose flour
• 2cupsmilk of choice,I used almond milk, but any you have on hand will work
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 16ouncesdried spaghetti
• 1/2lemon,for juicing
• 1ouncefresh parmesan,for serving

How to cook the leek greens

Another thing I love about this recipe is how the greens stay vibrant, making this dish look so fresh and delicious. Leeks are so pretty, it’s a shame when they lose all their color. For this recipe, we’re blanching the leek greens so all of that amazing green color is locked in. Here’s how to cook the greens:

• Remove the green tops of the leeks from the white bottoms. Using long, careful cuts, slice the green parts of the leeks lengthwise, creating long green strips that are similar in size and shape to spaghetti noodles. Set these aside.
• Halve the white parts of the leeks and thinly slice them crosswise into half-moon pieces. Set aside.
• Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Prepare a bath of ice water to the side. Liberally season the water with salt and submerge the green parts of the leeks into the water for 30 seconds to a minute, or until they are softened and bright green. Transfer them directly into the ice bath and remove the heat from the water, but leave the pot on the stove.

How to caramelize the leek whites

Now for the true star of the show: the caramelized leek whites. Caramelization adds so much flavor to dishes, bringing richness, nuttiness and slight sweetness to otherwise pungent ingredients. For this recipe, the leek whites only caramelize for about 15-25 minutes, which is a quick version of caramelizing. True caramelization takes around 45-60 minutes, but that’s a big chunk of time for a weeknight dinner vibe. To quickly caramelize the leek whites, we’re simply cooking them over a bit higher heat than normal and they’ll only caramelize to a medium color. Here’s how:

• Set a large sauté pan on the burner next to the pot and bring it to medium heat. Add a glug of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons). Let this heat up before adding the white parts of the leeks. Season with salt and add a tablespoon of butter. Stir to melt the butter and combine.
• Cook down the white parts of the leeks for 15-25 minutes, quickly “caramelizing” them (true caramelization would take 45-60 minutes, but this is our quicker version!).

Bringing this creamy pasta dish together

After the leek greens and whites are cooked, it’s time to pull the rest of this dish together. I used spaghetti for this recipe, but you can use any other long pasta shape like bucatini, linguini or even angel hair. Here’s how to finish up this meal:

• Bring the pot of water that blanched the green parts of the leeks back to a boil. Add in the spaghetti and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until al dente.
• While the pasta is boiling, move the caramelized leeks to the side of the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour. Stir into a paste.
• Gradually add the milk into the pan, using about 1/3 cup at a time, stirring for 30 seconds until it has combined with the butter and flour, and repeating until a smooth sauce forms. Swirl this together with the caramelized leeks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it right into the creamy sauce. Add splashes of pasta water to help everything emulsify.
• Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture from the green parts of the leeks, and add them to the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir until everything is combined.
• Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve and top with parmesan cheese.

Looking for similar recipes?

Cozy pasta dishes are my specialty! Here are some favorites on the blog:

And that’s everything for this Caramelized Leek Pasta!

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