In my favourite leek recipes, leeks sweat slowly in butter until they sweeten and melt. Knowing that, I decided to bake the creamy leeks together with some crunchy croutons for texture and a little cream to make them extra tender.
If you don’t want to make croutons ahead of time you can probably substitute stale bread. I was also thinking that even just topping the leeks with toasted breadcrumbs would be lovely. These baked leeks also reheat well the next day.
(Serves 3-4)
2 cups croutons
2 large leeks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 tablespoon cream
Preheat oven to 375F. Chop all dark green away from leeks and cut into 1 cm rounds. Rinse well in water. If they are very dirty, soak in cold water and then drain. In a heavy dutch casserole or oven safe pot heat olive oil to medium low. Add leeks, thyme, butter and a heavy pinch of salt. Turn to medium and cover, stirring regularly. The leeks, should sweat, sweeten and soften, it will take about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 of the parmesan and the cream. There should still be some liquid, if there isn’t add a splash of water. Stir in croutons and sprinkle over remaining Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned on top. Serve hot.
Similar Recipes:
Caramelized Leek Risotto
Shrimp and White Wine Pasta Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes and Leeks
Braised Pork with Caramelized Leeks and Apple Cider
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! This looks absolutely delicious!
I’m currently obsessed with leeks – move over, plain white onions! This looks simple and lovely!
Leeks are such a delicious vegetable! I love their buttery flavor, especially enhanced with real butter like it is here!
drooltastic. i haven’t gotten around to cooking leeks yet this spring, thanks for a kick in the butt.
Oooh, I’ve never baked leeks before!
This is perfect. I love leeks, but I’m always short on ways to feature them as the main part of a dish. I’m going to try this recipe.