All the coziness of leeks, none of the fuss in this Creamy Leek Sauce. We’ll coax sweetness, add gentle acidity, and build a sauce that hugs whatever it touches whether that be pasta, chicken, pork, salmon or veggies.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Sauce
With a unique flavor and silky texture, this creamy leek sauce is going to be one of your new favorites. Here’s why.
- 15 minutes, one pan – Can you really beat a homemade sauce that’s ready in only 15 minutes with only one pan to wash?
- Balanced flavor – With acidity from the lemon and the richness from fresh Parmesan, this sauce is flavorful without being heavy.
- Endless uses – This sauce is nothing if not versatile. Use it on any number of proteins, pasta, roasted veggies or grains.
Recipe Essentials
A lot of the ingredients needed to make this sauce you might already have on hand. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Leeks – You want to use the whites and light green parts only. Make sure to properly clean them. Check the section below for detailed instructions.
- Unsalted butter
- Flour
- Fresh garlic
- Half and half
- Vegetable broth
- Fresh lemon
- Parmesan cheese
- Coarse sea salt
- Ground black pepper
How to Clean & Prep Leeks
What looks like a giant scallion is also part of the onion family, but leeks offer a unique and subtle flavor that can be described as a sweet onion-y flavor. Unique in flavor, but also in prep, leeks require the extra step of washing because grit often gets stuck in the layers.
- Trim– Cut off the root end, called the beard, and the long, softer, dark green ends, leaving just the white and long green parts. The darker green ends can be used for seasoning stock, soup or making into a pesto or salad dressing.
- Cut– Chop the leeks according to your recipe. This is typically sliced into rings, sliced further into half-moons or julienned.
- Fan– Fan the layers apart, which will reveal the grit between, and place into a bowl.
- Soak or Rinse– If you are soaking, cover the leeks with cold water and swish around to release the dirt. Lift the leeks out with your hands or a spider spoon, don’t just tip and pour, the dirt will have settled to the bottom and stay on the leeks. If rinsing, place into a colander and rinse, moving around with your hands to access all of the grit.
- Dry– Use a salad spinner or place the leeks on a paper towel lined plate and pat dry.
How to Serve
Sometimes referred to as creamed leeks, this can also be served as a side dish, using a slotted spoon, much like creamed spinach, but I prefer it as a silky sauce instead.
Serve the sauce over seared chicken cutlets, pork chops, salmon, shrimp, scallops, ravioli/gnocchi, roasted asparagus, green beans or smashed potatoes.
More Homemade Sauces
If you know me, you know how much I love a good sauce. From pasta sauces to dipping sauces, here are some of my favorites.
Creamy Leek Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 leeks white and light greens only, sliced and cleaned
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup half & half
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 fresh lemon juiced and zested
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the 1/4 cup unsalted butter.
- Add the cleaned and sliced 2 leeks, stirring to coat and then cooking down for 4-5 minutes. Leek should cook down, but not be browned. Add the minced 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, cooking for an additional minute.
- Stir in the 2 tablespoons flour, creating a roux paste.
- Whisk in the 1 cup half & half and 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth, reduce heat to low.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the zested and juiced 1 fresh lemon, finely grated 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mixture should coat the back of a spoon when the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot over chicken, pork, seafood, pasta or veggies.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
