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    Home » All Recipes

    Author: Donna | Published: Mar 22, 2021 | Modified: Mar 22, 2021

    Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche

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    Creamed Leeks

    Move over creamed spinach, this Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche side dish is going to blow your mind. Fantastically flavorsome and elegant without requiring too much work on your behalf. Simply slice the leeks into thin noodle lengths with a sharp knife, boil and then sauté to perfection, and mix with a simple crème fraîche and black pepper sauce. Creamed leeks make a great side dish when you are looking for something a little bit different that isn't going to require too much time in the kitchen.

    Creamed leeks with creme fraiche sprinkled with lots of black pepper and served in a green and cream bowl with linen surrounding it

    Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche

    Jump to:
    • Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche
    • How To Make Creamed Leek
    • A Note On Ingredients
    • Veggie Noodles With A Twist
    • Need More Fun Recipes Using Vegetables A Little Bit Differently?
    • Recipe

    When leeks are in season and not ridiculously overpriced, this creamed leek side dish is a great way to get creative in the kitchen and whip up something a little bit different.

    No need for a vegetable spiralizer, these slippery leek noodles are hand-cut using a sharp knife, making them a super easy side dish to whip up in no time at all.

    You will need:

    • leeks
    • sea salt
    • crème fraîche
    • a good quality extra virgin olive oil, or if you really feel like dressing it up you could hunt down some hazelnut or macadamia oil
    • lots of freshly ground black pepper

    Nothing too left of the field.

    Overhead shot of ingredients required for creamy leeks

    How To Make Creamed Leek

    Creamed leeks are so easy to make.

    Simply:

    • remove the green part of the leek and put it aside for another use (how about washing and freezing in a Ziploc bag to make some homemade veggie broth)
    • slice the white part of the leek in half lengthways, and then cut those halves into quarters
    • take each quarter, and cut into thin strips. They should resemble noodles in shape.

    The leek slices should be even in size and width to ensure they all cook at the same time and end up having the same texture once cooked.

    Tip: Wash Those Leeks Well! They tend to hold on to a lot of dirt so be sure to give them a good scrub.

    Once you have sliced the leek into thin strips make sure you wash it really well, as leeks tend to hold on to a lot of dirt.

    I tend to wash it before cutting and then wash the leek noodles again after they have been cut.

    chopping board with leeks being cut into strings
    Similar lengths and widths so they all cook evenly.

    It is important to sauté the noodles after they have been drained of the cooking water for two reasons:

    • If you do not, you will end up watering the crème fraîche and pepper sauce down too much and losing a lot of the flavor of the dish
    • If the leeks are too wet the cream sauce will not cling to them as well and it will end up looking like cooked leek sitting in a watery pool

    Not appetizing at all.

    Use a pair of tongs to move the leeks around the hot pan until there is no water pooling between the strips.

    Watch it though, we don't want them to burn.

    Cooked leek noodles in a saucepan
    We want the cooked leek to be quite dry but not burnt.

    A Note On Ingredients

    Leeks are something most of you have probably worked with in the past, most likely for a simple potato leek and cheddar soup.

    However, combining them with crème fraîche and lots of freshly ground pepper changes this humble vegetable from a ho-hum everyday ingredient, to something a little bit more exciting.

    Crème Fraîche

    This can be found in the cold section of the supermarket where you would find sour cream and other creams.

    If you cannot find it, or it's not something you want to hunt down, you can easily substitute it with sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt.

    Please note that these are not as rich or tangy as crème fraîche, so there will definitely be a difference in the end result.

    However, in a pinch, they will work.

    Creamed leeks with creme fraiche sprinkled with lots of black pepper and served in a green and cream bowl with linen surrounding it

    Roasted Hazelnut Oil Or Macadamia Oil

    You can definitely use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for creamed leeks.

    However, if you want to kick it up a notch, try adding something a little more decadent, like roasted hazelnut oil or macadamia oil.

    These can be found in well-stocked supermarkets in the same section as olive oil.

    Veggie Noodles With A Twist

    The combination of the already creamy leeks with some crème fraîche here makes for a beautifully rich dish.

    It works perfectly as a side dish when served with:

    • Chicken like this Lemon Parmesan Chicken
    • Grilled fish
    • Lamb chops
    • A cooked ham
    • On the Holiday table as a special side dish
    • Stirred through mashed potatoes for a differing take on Irish Colcannon

    Use your imagination.

    I have also been known to eat them all by themselves.

    Creamed leek noodles twirled and scooped with a fork

    Need More Fun Recipes Using Vegetables A Little Bit Differently?

    Vegetables can be super versatile and easily used in lots of different ways to change up meal time.

    Check out these recipes:

    • Riced Broccoli
    • Zucchini Cilantro and Lime Udon Noodle Bowl
    • Ricotta and Cauliflower Tater Tots
    • Veggie Loaded Tater Tots
    • Porcini Mushroom and Leek Soup from Another Food Blogger
    plated One Pan Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Garlic Butter Veggies on a wooden board
    The richness of these leek noodles would work well with this simple lemon parmesan chicken.

    Happy Eating

    xx

    Recipe

    Creamed Leeks

    Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche

    Whole Food Bellies
    Move over creamed spinach, this Creamed Leeks with Crème Fraîche side dish is going to blow your mind. Fantastically flavorsome and elegant without requiring too much work on your behalf. Simply slice the leeks into thin noodle lengths with a sharp knife, boil and then sauté to perfection, and mix with a simple crème fraîche and black pepper sauce. Creamed leeks make a great side dish when you are looking for something a little bit different that isn't going to require too much time in the kitchen.
    4.94 from 33 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Anytime
    Servings 4 serves
    Calories 75 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 leeks white and light green part only
    • ⅓ cup crème fraîche
    • 1 teaspoon good quality extra virgin olive oil (or roasted hazelnut oil)
    • 1 teaspoon Sea salt to taste
    • 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Remove the dark green part of the leek and set aside (see notes for suggestions. )
    • Slice the white and light green part of the leeks in half lengthways and then into quarters. Taking each qurter at a time, use a sharp knife to cut the leeks into thin strips. They should resemble short noodles and be evenly sliced to a similar width.
    • Rinse the sliced leeks well to ensure all dirt is removed.
    • Place the sliced leeks into a medium-sized saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook until tender (about 7 minutes).
    • Uncover, add about ½ teaspoon of salt, and cook for another 3 minutes. They should be very tender.
    • Place the drained leeks back into the saucepan and heat, moving around the pan with a pair of tongs, for about 2 minutes to get rid of any excess water. You do not want to burn them.
    • Add the crème fraîche and EVOO to the leeks and stir to combine.
    • Pepper generously and allow the sauce to heat through before serving.

    Notes

    After rinsing well, put the greens of the leeks into a Ziploc bag in the freezer and save them to make homemade broth.
    Oil
    EVOO can be replaced with toasted hazelnut or macadamia oil to jazz up the dish a bit. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 24mgPotassium: 120mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 867IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword creamed leeks, leek noodles
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment HERE and let us know how it was!

    This recipe has been updated from the original version published on 2nd March 2015 to include new photos, tips, recipe substitutions, and serving recommendations.

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    « Red Berry Protein Smoothie Without Protein Powder
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Detox Girl says

      May 27, 2015 at 1:08 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to write this 🙂

      Reply
      • Whole Food Bellies says

        May 31, 2015 at 4:53 am

        Very welcome.Thanks for stopping by 🙂

        Reply

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    Recipe Rating




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    Hello and welcome, I'm Donna!

    I am so glad you are here!

    Since I have a part-time job, 3 little kids, and a love of good food (as do you I assume), I have learned how to get the most out of the kitchen in the smallest amount of time.

    Forget about hunting down weird ingredients and making trips to specialty shops.

    We are going to make the most of what is available at the store and farmer's markets all whilst enjoying some delicious meals the whole family (hopefully...if you have fussy eaters I guarantee nothing) will enjoy.

    Pop on that apron and let's get creative in the kitchen!

    More about me →

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