Roasted Leeks

Have you ever thought of having roasted leeks as a side dish? You definitely should! They are sweet, comforting, and full of flavor.

When I think about leeks, I mostly think about leek soup with rice and beans. Either I use them to make chicken stock or vegetable stock or I make a nice Irish potato soup or whole peanut soup with them as well.

Leeks, as a side dish, do happen from time to time, but they are mostly buttered. Until I discovered this amazing roasted leeks recipe.

The inspiration came from another of my favorite recipes: roasted green onions. Actually, when making this recipe for the first time, I was thinking about a vegetable side dish to serve with the polenta and cheese that the kids wanted to have for lunch. And it was a great idea, the roasting process is pretty much the same. You will only need a few more minutes of cooking time, as the leeks, even when cut, are larger than the green/spring onions.

How to clean leeks?

• The only thing requiring attention when making roasted leeks is cleaning them properly. They are probably some of the dirtiest vegetables you could buy.
• They have many layers of leaves, and dirt collects between the layers at the transition from the white part to the green part of the vegetable, so you will have to actually separate the layers and thoroughly wash in between the layers.
• Wash thoroughly.
• Cut and discard the roots.
• Cut the last 2 cm/ 1 inch or so of the dark green ends as well; they are often wilted. Discard.
• Slice lengthwise.
• Carefully fan open the layers without taking the leek apart, and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.
• To proceed with the recipe, cut the halves into smaller pieces, about 10 cm/ 4 inches long.

How to roast leeks?

What spices to use?

• You can get away with using only salt and pepper. These vegetables are sweet and delicious once roasted, so you will not need much to make them shine.
• However, as my spice cupboard is always full, I added some paprika (hot and sweet) as well. Sprinkle some parsley on top of the roasted leeks before serving.
• You could use other spices as well, whatever you like.

Roast:

• Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Clean and cut the veggies as described above.
• Place the pieces in a roasting tin.
• Whisk together the oil and the spices.
• Pour over the vegetables and massage well with your hands to make sure that they are all coated in oil.

How long to roast leeks?

• It depends on how thick they are and on your oven.
• Mine were pretty thick, so they needed 40 minutes of roasting time.
• Start checking after 25-30 minutes, about every 5 minutes or so.
• When done, the vegetables should be tender and easy to pierce with a fork.

Tip

Remove the outer leaf before serving; it tends to be tougher than the rest.

How to serve baked leeks?

• The baked leeks make a perfect side dish for just about anything. How about serving them with some cast iron chicken breast, pistachio pork tenderloin, Romanian meatballs, or fish?
• To make a delicious vegetarian meal, serve them with basic polenta and cheese.

More leek recipes

Recipe

Roasted Leeks

Have you ever thought of having roasted leeks as a side dish? You definitely should!

4.62 from 65 votes

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Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 3-4 large leeks
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sweet paprika See note
• ▢ ½ teaspoon hot paprika more or less to taste
• ▢ fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wash leeks: Wash the leeks. Trim and discard the roots and the last 2 cm/ 1 inch or so of the dark green ends as well. Slice the leeks lengthwise. Carefully fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under running water until all the dirt is removed.
• Cut leeks: Cut the halved leeks into smaller pieces, about 10 cm/ 4 inches long. Place the leek pieces in a roasting tin.
• Season: Whisk together the oil and the spices. Pour over the leeks and massage well with your hands to make sure that all the leeks are coated in oil.
• Roast the leeks for about 40 minutes. Start checking after 25-30 minutes, about every 5 minutes or so; the roasting time depends on the thickness of the leek halves and your oven. When done, the roasted leeks should be tender easy to pierce with a fork.
• Remove the outer leaf before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as suggested above.

Notes

Both paprika sorts are optional, you can only use salt and pepper or other spices instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 279mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g

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