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!
Table of contents
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:
- 2 large leeks, very well cleaned
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk of choice, I used almond milk, but any you have on hand will work
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces dried spaghetti
- 1/2 lemon, for juicing
- 1 ounce fresh 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:
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Caramelized Leek Pasta
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large pot or dutch oven
- 1 large, high-sided sauté pan
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks very well cleaned
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk of choice I used almond milk, but any you have on hand will work
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces dried spaghetti
- 1/2 lemon for juicing
- 1 ounce fresh parmesan for serving
Instructions
- 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.
- 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!).
- 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.
Made this tonight, loved it! I love using the Whole Leek – I mean, I pay for them by the pound, it’s crazy to compost half of it. The recipe really works – the creaminess of the sauce (even with oat milk) and the leeks cooked two ways is so tasty. We have some leftover, and I’m thinking I might put it in the oven with a pangrittata for a crunchy top.
It was a perfect weeknight meal! And I love that I got to use the whole leek. Will definitely join our rotation.
I’m so happy you liked it! It’s one of my absolute favorites!
I am addicted to your site! I have become a better cook because of you! This was a good recipe to help my kids explore other pasta dishes. I never thought I would have picky eaters!
Ahhh thank you!! I’m so glad your kids liked it, and thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Yet another delicious and interesting recipe! I’ve always shied away from leeks because I hate how much I don’t use.
The creamy, caramelized leek sauce was delicious and the lemon juice really tied it all together! I look forward to making this again, but I’ll be doubling the sauce so I have even more if it 🙂
For some reason my rating didn’t come through, but 5 stars!
Do you have a suggestion on how to add protein? I was thinking maybe ground beef while being careful to drain the fat so it doesn’t affect the sauce too much..? Or maybe peas or tofu? I want to keep the integrity of the recipe cause it sounds wonderful but I know I’ll need more protein.
Hi! I’m pescatarian, so I can’t vouch for the beef results, however I love throwing in white beans or chickpeas to this along with the sauce. I also love slow roasting a salmon in the oven (20 minutes at 325°F) until it is soft and buttery, and then breaking it into pieces to swirl into the pasta.
This was soooooo tasty! Thanks for the recipe can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Yay, I’m so happy you liked it!
so simple but so good! i added 2 cloves of garlic for the last minute of caramelization, super creamy and delicious even before adding in the cheese!
Ok wow, I’ve never written a recipe review before but this inspired me. I love this recipe! I added some sliced garlic with the sautéed leek & lemon zest on top w the Parmesan and I think this is my new favorite pasta. The green parts of the leek in the pasta add a really surprising fresh flavor & texture.
I love all your recipes and I’ve tried this one too. Mixed it with regular spaghetti to add carbs but we had an issue chewing and specifically swallowing the leek strings. I’m going to have another try and remove the really green parts of the leeks and cooking it a bit longer. The concept and the taste are both very good, but I’d rather try to not invite Dr. Heimlich at the dinner table hahahahaha!
I’ve been thinking about this recipe since it came across my reels. A lover of all things leeks, I was super excited to see the whole thing used— for the first time ever!
We made this tonight with chicken.
Even my 3 year old devoured it. This is just plain yummy.
So so happy you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This was so good! I love leeks and everything just works so well together! Impressed my parents with it when they were visiting. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Ahhhh I’m so happy you liked it!! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind rating and review!
I liked the flavors but felt like the sauce was not enough so it ended up being a little dry. I might make it again but with a different pasta:leek:sauce ratio.
Any thoughts on using cornstarch instead of flour?
Hi there! Cornstarch is my lesser preferred sub as it makes the béchamel less flavorful than I’d prefer, but it’s a fine sub if you are in a pinch! Regarding the sauce ratio, you can absolutely scale up the béchamel to your preferences! I also find adding a generous amount of pasta water as you combine everything makes all the difference!