Description
A beautiful addition to a roast dinner & a fabulous alternative to cauliflower cheese, these cheesy leeks combine sweet sauteed leeks in a cheese sauce.
The default recipe serves 2 as a side.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500g cleaned and trimmed leeks, cut into 2–3cm long pieces
- 20g unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 20g plain flour
- 375ml / 1.5 cup cold milk (see note 1)
- 80g cheddar cheese (see note 2)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems (see note 3)
- 20g panko breadcrumbs (see note 4)
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds
Equipment
- Baking dish – around 400ml in capacity for 2 portions (the default recipe below). This baking dish is a great size for two portions.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan/skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and saute until starting to turn golden. Remove the leeks and transfer them to a baking dish.
- Next, make a roux in the same pan. Add the butter to the pan and, when melted, add the garlic and cook for a minute. Don’t allow the butter to brown and reduce the heat if needed.
- Add the flour to the pan and whisk until you have a paste. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the milk to the pan a little at a time, whisking each addition until fully incorporated.
- Add two-thirds of the cheese and thyme to the sauce. Cook for a further couple of minutes stirring constantly until the cheese is fully melted into the sauce and it has thickened. Season to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the leeks and then top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs. Crumble the flaked almonds over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top.
Notes
- Whole milk will give the creamiest texture, but you can use semi-skimmed if preferred. Nutrition information is calculated using whole.
- You can substitute the cheddar cheese or use a mix with other hard cheeses. Great options are red Leicestershire, parmesan or gruyere.
- You can use dried thyme instead of fresh, however, use half the amount as it is more pungent.
- Regular dried breadcrumbs can be used instead, however, panko will give a crispier texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side
- Method: Hob / Oven
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 585
- Fat: 38g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Protein: 21g
Keywords: side dish, vegetables, leeks, cheese, easy, roast dinner, vegetarian