Leeks are an excellent green vegetable that can make many simple recipes into delicious ones, only with its vegan nutrients and fresh oniony flavour.
Whether it is with eggs, meat, or dairy products, there are endless possibilities in preparing various vegetarian leek recipes.
It could be cooked with pasta, pizza, and other vegetables as well to get the best out of this allium family vegetable. Leeks belong to the same family that has shallots, onions, and garlic.
If you’ve never heard about this mysterious vegetable, now is the prime time to secure your knowledge on how to cook leeks and how to make outstanding leek recipes for a casual weekday or a Sunday roast.
Since leek recipes go best with chicken thighs, crusty bread, and other dairy ingredients, we’ll spill all the beans about the most popular and delicious leek recipes now.
So, without further ado, let’s start with the main thing, which is how to cook leeks.
1. How to Cook Leeks?
Leeks are pretty versatile and adaptable when it comes to recipes or cooking them. You can cook leeks in various ways.
You may use the oven to make grilled leeks or cook the in a saucepan. You may roast them in a frying pan or simply steam or boil them in water.
Don’t think too much, since leeks can be cooked easily by using any means.
The best part is you can use every part of the leafy vegetable, all of its parts are edible, whether it is green or white.
It has a sweet and fresh salmon flavour, which goes along really well with almost every recipe.
Once you’ve cooked the leeks, it’s time to prepare a long list of some of the best leek recipes like pie, potato soup, and cheese creamy sauce for a main course, or a side dish.
Since cooking leeks is super easy, let’s see how to use these baby leeks to make some wonderful mouth-watering leek recipes.
2. 4 Best Leek Recipes
2.1 Leek Potato Soup
This exquisite leek recipe UK is an absolutely delicious and savoury soup, which will win your heart in no time.
With crispy toppings and smooth thick yummy soup, the taste of it just gets better with every bite.
2.1.1 Ingredients
- Large Leeks – 4-5
- Olive Oil – 5 tsp
- Salt
- Garlic Cloves -3-5 ( crushed )
- Butter – 2-3 tbsp
- White Pepper – 1 tsp
- Black Pepper – 1 tsp
- Chicken Stock
- Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Coriander – 1 tsp ( grounded )
- Celery – 2 ( diced )
- Potatoes – 4-5 ( 2, if large )
- Anchovy fillet – 1
- Parmesan Cheese ( grated )
- Toasted Crusty Bread for Garnish
2.1.2 Recipe Procedure
Step 1:
In a frying pan, cook a few of the leeks for some time, with olive oil under medium heat.
Once they are golden and well-fried, put them aside on a clean plate and sprinkle some pepper and salt over them.
Set the plate aside, for later use.
Step 2:
In the same frying pan, add more olive oil and add butter and heat it until it melts. Add 1 tsp salt, 2 stalks of celery, and the leftovers of leeks on top of it.
Cook this current combination for a while under low-medium heat until the leeks turn tender, golden, and soft.
Blend all of them equally together and cook it for at least 15-20 minutes.
Step 3:
Add some more olive oil for a smoother cooking process. Add the remaining vegetables like anchovy, peppers, fennel seeds, garlic, and coriander. Mix and stir all of them well.
Let the aroma of the seasonings rise up and keep cooking for up to 2-3 minutes for the ingredients to cook well.
Once done, pour the chicken stock or broth and the potatoes for the delicious soup.
Cook the present mixture for a while, like 20-30 minutes. Make sure to cover the pan, so that the potatoes boil and get cooked well, along with the soupy texture.
Step 4:
Once the soup along with its potatoes is cooked, turn off the heat. Transfer the soup to a bowl and proceed as per your preferences.
If you’re opting for a smooth soup, you may beat the soup in a blender for the potatoes to smoothen up entirely.
Whereas, if you like your soup crisp and with chunks, simply use a spoon to smash the cooked potatoes into smaller pieces.
Once you’re ready with your preferred texture, garnish the top of the soup with those fried leeks that were set aside, bread toasts, and parmesan cheese.
You may use grated cheese like ricotta or mozzarella, depending on your choice. The recipe makes the onion flavour of the leeks more enhancing, so it’s definitely worth a try.
You may use spinach, thyme, cream, or a slice of bread to garnish or cook with the leek recipes like soups or pies.
There is a handful of dishes to serve that include roasted leeks, so make sure to try at least one of them to unleash the magic of leeks.
2.2 Chicken and Leek Pie
Looking for a special warm family meal on Sundays? Chicken and Leek Pie are one of the best leek recipes in the bunch.
With the flavour of the puffy sweet pastry, this unique recipe has a lot to offer to the table and to your hungry tummies.
2.2.1 Ingredients
- Baby Leeks – 2 ( sliced )
- Chicken Thighs – 600 g ( bones removed )
- Flour – 2-3 tbsp
- Butter – 100 g
- Cream – 200 ml
- Puffy Pastry – 450 g
- Whole Milk – 400 ml
- Chopped Tarragon
- Eggs – 1-2 ( whisked )
- Mustard – 2 tsp
2.2.2 Recipe Procedure
Step 1:
Take a large saucepan and add the leeks, chicken, and milk altogether. Under low-medium heat, cook or simmer the current mixture for some time, until the flavour gets well-blended.
Do this for 10-15 minutes until the chicken and the leeks get simmered. Once it is done, take a strainer and transfer the chicken and leeks to a bowl and keep the strained milk reserved for later use.
Use your fingers to crush the chicken into smaller pieces and mix it all with the leeks. Once done, go back to the saute pan again.
Step 2:
Use the sauté pan or a frying pan to heat and melt the 100 g butter under medium heat.
Once melted, add some flour and give it a vigorous stir for a minute or two. A sauce-like texture will arise slowly.
Now add the reserved milk from earlier, cream, and mustard, and blend them well for a good while. A creamy sauce will start to emerge as the mixture will thicken.
Once it has thickened enough, add the cooked chicken, leeks, and finally tarragon. Stir everything well together and once it is done, let the combination rest for some time.
Step 3:
Once it is ready, keep your pastry dish rolled out and ready for the mixture to transfer onto it. Make sure to cover or glaze it with whisked egg mixture for an extra crunchy exterior.
Finally, put the pastry dish into the oven at 170 to 180 degrees Celsius for 23-25 minutes. Check every once in a while to see if the pie has become golden brown and crisp.
If it has, take it out at that time and enjoy the delicious top-notch leeks and chicken pastry pie recipe with your family.
Do not miss out on this fantastic, one of the best leek recipes of all time, if you love chicken and vegetables. This leek pie will be a valuable addition to your cookbook!
2.3 Chicken, Bean, and Leek Tray Bake
A delicious and aromatic crispy dish with leeks, yummy chicken, and dairy products is on the way to winning your heart with its tantalizing taste.
This unique meal is one of the best leek recipes in the UK.
2.3.1 Ingredients
- Leeks – 4-5 ( sliced )
- Cooked Chicken Thighs – 9-10
- Olive Oil
- Chicken Stock – 600 ml
- Crème fraîche – 200 ml
- Cannellini Beans – 750 g – 800 g
- Garlic Cloves – 5 ( crushed )
- Mustard – 2 tbsp
- Lemon – 1-2
2.3.2 Recipe Procedure
Step 1:
Take a large frying pan and evenly coat it with olive oil, and put the chicken thighs on it and fry them for a few minutes.
Make sure they get fried under medium-high heat until they turn crispy and golden.
While you’re frying the chicken, make sure to preheat the oven up to 180 degrees Celcius.
Once the chicken is cooked and fried, transfer them to the baking tray or dishes, and keep it aside.
Season the Chicken with salt and pepper as per your preferences in the recipe.
Step 2:
In the same frying pan, add more olive oil and cook the leeks until they become tender and soft by frying for 3-4 minutes.
When it is cooked, add the garlic and keep frying under high heat.
Finally, add the cannellini beans sideways on the frying and cook for a few more minutes.
Once everything is fried and ready, pour the current combination along the corners of the baking tray of chicken.
After you’ve poured the mixture on the tray, pour the amount of chicken stock on top of the beans and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3:
Now put the baking tray into the oven and bake them for 15-20 minutes, until they get well-roasted and cooked, especially the chicken.
Once done, take out the baking tray and pour Crème fraîche and mustard from the sideways on the tray and mix them well together with the beans.
After you’ve mixed them together, put the current combination in the oven once more and this time bake the meal for 15 minutes at most.
Afterwards, take out the baking tray and sprinkle lemon juice or zest for the final garnish part. You may also add other juices or toasted bread for the crunchiness of the recipe.
You may also keep this side dish in an airtight container if you want to store it in the freezer or refrigerator.
2.4 Cheesy Leeks
If you’re a hard-core cheese lover with chicken and leeks, then this Cheesy leeks recipe is undoubtedly one of the best leek recipes for you.
This leek recipe can also be an excellent side dish for main courses.
2.4.1 Ingredients
- Leeks – 600 g ( sliced )
- Flour – 30 g
- Butter – 30 g
- Whole Milk – 300 ml
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Mustard – 2 tsp
- Breadcrumbs – 4 tbsp
- Cheddar Cheese – 200 g ( grated )
- Thyme Leaves – 2-3 tsp
2.4.2 Recipe Procedure
Step 1:
For this cheesy leeks recipe, the vegetable must be well-steamed. Take a large pot or a steaming pot and put the leeks in them.
In the meantime, remember to preheat the oven to 180 – 200 degrees Celsius before baking.
Wait for 7-8 minutes for the leeks to turn into leafy green colour as it gets steamed properly with time. Once it is steamed entirely, set the pot aside and keep a dry baking dish ready at hand.
Step 2:
In a saute pan, melt the 30 g butter and 30 g flour together and mix well under medium heat. Cook it for a while to thicken the mixture.
Slowly pour the milk and keep stirring the mixture in the meantime, so that the mixture smoothens and thickens simultaneously. Keep on doing this until all the milk has been used.
Simmer the mixture for 4-5 minutes and you’ll notice the creamy cheesy leeks sauce is slowly thickening up.
Once it is completely made, so that it sticks to the back of your cooking spoon, add the rest.
Pour the 200 g grated cheese with the mustard and stir everything well since now it is getting even fatter and thicker.
The sauce is the top-notch attraction in the cheesy leeks recipe, so take special care of it.
Step 3:
Add the leeks that were steamed, to the cheesy mixture in the saute pan. Press the corners of the leeks to completely submerge the vegetable into the thick creamy sauce.
Once done, transfer the entire mixture into that baking dish and top it up with the sauce and leeks.
Before baking it in the oven, garnish the recipe with thyme leaves, pepper, salt, and the remaining cheddar cheese. Use the breadcrumbs as well for the crunchiness of the recipe.
Step 4:
Finally, put the recipe in the oven for 15-20 minutes at most, and you’ll find gorgeous, creamy, and delicious cheesy leeks.
Apart from these recipes, there are a lot more exquisite leek recipes that are easy to make, crunchy, yummy, and worth a bite.
Conclusion
The list of the greatest leek recipes in the UK is never-ending.
This genius green vegetable is a marvellous addition to a number of recipes like cooked meat, quiche, pies, pasta, and soups.
Check Out: The 5 Best Spanish Desserts with Recipes
It is a lovely treat to enjoy this nutritious vegetable with a variety of options.
Whether you’re a pasta lover or a soup fanatic, whether you’re vegan or not, these leek recipes will never fail to fit into your food categories.
