This savory-sweet, easy creamed leeks recipe is one of the simplest and most delicious ways of cooking leeks: just a little time and only a few ingredients but tons of flavor.
A rich and tasty dish of sliced leeks sauteed in butter and cooked in a creamy sauce until melty, sweet, and delicious.
The creamed leeks are one of my favorite side dishes. I cook them often as they go so well with just about anything: chicken, fish, meat, and many vegetarian mains. And should there be any leftovers, I love them with just a slice of bread on the side.
For more ways of cooking leeks as a side dish, check out Buttered Leeks, Creamy Cheesy Leeks, or Roasted Leeks; all three recipes are really amazing! But then you have to love leeks as much as I do! 😊
Recipe ingredients
- Leeks: They can differ very much in size, so it is preferable to weigh them. I bought two large leeks for this recipe – a total weight of 1.2 – 1.4 lb/ 550 – 650 g. After trimming them, I had about 1 lb/450 g left.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter, but adjust the amount of salt accordingly. I used unsalted butter, started with ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and added a tiny bit more at the end. If your butter is salted, start with ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- Stock: Low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock.
- Heavy cream: About 30% fat.
- Spices: Fine sea salt or Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and a few gratings of nutmeg.
- Lemon juice: Just a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice to enliven the flavors. Add to taste.
- Optional: You can sprinkle the creamed leeks with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and top it with some fresh thyme leaves, parsley, or chives before serving.
How to clean leeks?
Cleaning the leeks properly is a crucial step of any leek recipe. Dirt collects between the many layers of leaves, especially at the transition between the white and the green part of the plant. You must separate these layers and wash the dirt away under running water.
- Wash the outside of the leeks.
- Remove the outer layer.
- Cut and discard the root end, and the last 2 cm/ 1 inch or so of the dark green tops as well; they are often wilted.
- Cut lengthwise but don’t cut all the way through to halve the leek.
- Fan open the layers without taking the leek apart.
- Rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.
How to make creamed leeks?
- Clean the plants as instructed above (1) and slice them into rounds using a large sharp knife (2).
- Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet or frying pan and sauté the slices on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly softer and golden (3).
- Add stock and cook for 3-4 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half and the vegetables are tender.
- Pour cream, stir in the spices, and cook until the mixture thickens (about 1 minute) (4).
- Adjust the taste with a few drops of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Expert Tips
- The greens of the leeks: I often see recipes instructing you only to use the whites of the plant, saying that the green parts are tough and inedible. I have never ever had any darker green parts that I could not eat!
- Once cooked, even if they might remain a bit chewier than the white parts, I doubt that you will really notice that or be bothered by it. Cutting waste and eating the green parts is better; they are healthy and delicious!
- There might be some recipes where using only the white part matters, but most of the time, that’s just a waste; you are throwing away about a third of a good plant. Instead, remove only the wilted ends and the outer leaf, which is always tougher than the rest. Use the cut-out parts to make stock.
- Stock: It’s preferable to use low-sodium stock. The stock will reduce during cooking, and if it’s too salty, the dish might become too salty.
- Servings: The recipe serves 3-4 as a side dish and only 2 as a main dish. You can double it to serve more people.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables; they should be tender but not mushy.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can cook it 1 or 2 days ahead. Keep the food refrigerated in an airtight container and reheat before serving, adding a bit more cream (or milk) when reheating.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Reheat in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Add a splash of milk or stock, stir well, and reheat on low heat, often stirring.
Reheat and mix them with cooked pasta, rice, or couscous. Add some Parmesan and lots of ground black pepper. Use the leftovers to stuff some baked potatoes.
What to serve with the creamy leeks?
Creamed leeks are the perfect side dish for many main courses; they are great with any roast.
Try them with Cast-Iron Pork Tenderloin, Tender Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs, Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken, Romanian Meatballs, Orange Salmon with White Wine Sauce, or Salmon and Sweet Potato Mash.
For a vegetarian main course, serve the creamed leeks with Polenta Roast Potatoes (or other roast potatoes), Basic Polenta mixed with cheese, Baked Cauliflower and Potato Patties, Oatmeal Patties, Simple Buttered Rice with Garlic or Carrot Rice.
More leek recipes
- Leek Stew with Olives
- German Leeks and Cheese Soup with Ground Pork
- Egg Salad with Cream Cheese
- Pea Frittata with Leeks (and Parmesan)
- Chicken, Mushroom and Leek Pie
- Simple Bacon Potato and Leek Soup
More easy side dish recipes
The Best Creamed Leeks
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb leeks 450 g, Note 1
- 3 tablespoons butter Note 2
- ½ cup low sodium chicken or vegetable stock 125 ml, Note 3
- ½ cup heavy cream 125 ml
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- a few gratings nutmeg
- a few drops lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Clean leeks: Wash the outside of 1 lb/ 450 g leeks. Cut and discard the roots and the last 2 cm/ 1 inch or so of the dark green ends; they are often wilted. Cut the leeks lengthwise but don’t cut all the way through. Fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed. Slice the leeks into rounds.
- Sauté: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the pan. Add the leeks and sauté them on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly softer and golden.
- Cook leeks: Add ½ cup/ 125 ml stock, stir, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the leeks are tender but not mushy. The liquid should have been reduced by half by now.
- Add heavy cream, salt, pepper, and a few gratings of nutmeg. Cook until the mixture thickens; it will take about 1 minute.½ cup /125 ml + ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt + ⅛ teaspoon pepper + a few gratings of nutmeg
- Adjust taste: Add a few drops of lemon juice to enliven the flavor, and adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
- Optional: Sprinkle the dish with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, or chives) just before serving.
Notes
- Leeks: I weighed them after cleaning. Buy about 1.2 – 1.4 lb/ 550 – 650 g to ensure you have about 1 lb/450 g after cleaning. A little more or less is perfectly fine.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, but adjust the salt accordingly. I used unsalted, started with ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt, and added a bit more at the end. If your butter is salted, start with ⅛ teaspoon of salt.
- Stock: It’s preferable to use low sodium. The liquid will reduce during cooking, and if it’s too salty, the dish might become too salty.
- Servings: The recipe serves 3-4 as a side dish and only 2 as a main dish. You can double it to serve more people.
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