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Home » Salad, Soup and Light Meals » Cheesy Leeks

Cheesy Leeks

Mains, Salad, Soup and Light Meals, Sides, Sauces and Dips

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Smooth, silky leeks in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Absolutely gorgeous served with a chunk of bread or alongside your favourite roast or casserole.
Smooth, silky leeks in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Absolutely gorgeous served with a chunk of bread or alongside your favourite roast or casserole. #leeks #cheesyleeks #vegetarian #recipe #onceuponafoodblog
A bowl of delicious cheesy leeks served with crusty brown bread

These cheesy leeks make a super vegetarian main. I struggle to find meat free mains that don’t leave me feeling short changed but this definitely hits the spot. All I need is a dish of these leeks and a good chunk of fresh wholemeal bread, and I’m sorted. Alternatively they make the perfect side dish served alongside your favourite Sunday roast or a casserole.

A bowl of delicious cheesy leeks served with crusty brown bread
A bowl of delicious cheesy leeks served with crusty brown bread

The sauce in this dish is thickened with a roux but, unlike a traditional roux, I don’t add the cold milk slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Instead I heat the milk first until it’s just below boiling point then add it all in one go. It’s a much quicker way of achieving the same result and one I use frequently.

A bowl of delicious cheesy leeks served with crusty brown bread

This dish is perfect at this time of year, when it’s cold and bleak outside but, if leeks are not your thing, try my gorgeous Cauliflower Cheese recipe which is also gluten free! So next time you get snowed in or it’s blowing a gale and raining horizontally, you know what to cook.

A bowl of delicious cheesy leeks served with crusty brown bread
5 from 3 votes

Cheesy Leeks

Course: Lunch, Soup and Light Dinners, Mains, Sides
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 3 people as a side (1 as a main)
Author: Anna Bloomfield
Smooth, silky leeks in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Absolutely gorgeous served with a chunk of bread or alongside your favourite roast or casserole.
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Ingredients

  • 1 large leek
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil or butter
  • 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
  • 200 ml milk
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 80 g mature cheddar (finely grated and divided)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Finely slice the leek then wash thoroughly and drain well.
  • Place a medium sized pan over a low to medium heat then add the oil or butter and the leek and cook, lid on but stirring often, until the leek has fully softened – 10 to 15 minutes.* Meanwhile, warm the milk so that it is hot but not scalding.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F).
  • When the leeks are soft and the juices have evaporated lower the heat. Add the flour and stir in, cooking for a minute or so, then pour in the hot milk and stir into the leeks.** 
  • Bring to a gentle simmer. Now add the mustard, ¾ of the cheese and the pepper and combine. Check the seasoning adding salt if necessary. 
  • Pour the leeks into an oven dish, sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese and place into the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Notes

* You will need to make sure that the leek does not scald on the bottom of the pan. I find that adding a small amount of water helps with this but do not add too much or the leek will stew and you will not cook out its strong leeky flavour.
**Because the milk is hot you can add it all in one go. You will get no lumps and will end up with a lovely creamy sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 8g (3%) | Protein: 9g (18%) | Fat: 15g (23%) | Saturated Fat: 7g (35%) | Cholesterol: 34mg (11%) | Sodium: 209mg (9%) | Potassium: 167mg (5%) | Sugar: 4g (4%) | Vitamin A: 870IU (17%) | Vitamin C: 3.5mg (4%) | Calcium: 285mg (29%) | Iron: 0.8mg (4%)

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Smooth, silky leeks in a creamy, cheesy sauce. Absolutely gorgeous served with a chunk of bread or alongside your favourite roast or casserole. #leeks #cheesyleeks #vegetarian #recipe #onceuponafoodblog

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robin

    October 11, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    When I was a kid, my mum would make cheesy leeks using a cheese powder mix. It worked OK, and we didn’t know any different, but this was super simple and turned out exactly like you described. The internet is a wonder isn’t it?? How did we ever cope before. Thank you

    Reply
  2. Lynn morgan

    January 26, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    Can we use chedder and mozzarella in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Anna Bloomfield

      February 10, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      Absolutely. Feel free to switch things up as you like!

      Reply
  3. Maddie

    December 19, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    Can I make this up to the point of putting in the oven the day before? Hoping to make for Christmas dinner but would like to prep as much the day before!

    Reply
    • Anna Bloomfield

      February 10, 2020 at 5:23 pm

      Absolutely. That would work really well x

      Reply
  4. Pastabest

    September 29, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. Made it with unsweetened almond milk and added a tablespoon of single cream

    Reply
    • Anna Bloomfield

      October 7, 2019 at 12:45 pm

      Sounds like a good switch! Glad you like the recipe.

      Reply
  5. Roni

    April 2, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    I’m making this right now! I just have two questions, though. At what temperature should I set the oven, and the cheese should be divided into what measurements? I’m just winging it, with the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and divided the cheese into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup. Yes, I LOVE cheese! LOL

    Reply
    • Anna

      April 4, 2019 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Roni. So sorry I couldn’t get back to you while you were cooking. It sounds like you got the oven temperature and cheese split pretty spot on so I’m sure it turned out really well, especially with all that extra cheese! Thanks for pointing out those omissions in the recipe. I’ll correct it right now. Anna

      Reply
  6. Maria

    March 13, 2019 at 10:15 pm

    Hi…this looks glorious…am planning to do it as part of an Easter lunch…do you think it could easily be doubled and work out just as yummy.

    Reply
  7. Laura

    February 26, 2019 at 5:55 am

    Looks marvelous! One question: are you using the whole leek minus the bottom or only the white and light green part of it?

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 1, 2019 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Laura. I always eat pretty much the whole leek. I remove any tough, dark green leaves then just slice the rest and give it a really good wash. I hope that helps x

      Reply
  8. Kat (The Baking Explorer)

    March 10, 2018 at 4:55 pm

    I could eat that whole pan to myself, that golden cheese is making me drool!

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 12, 2018 at 10:42 pm

      Glad you like the look of it x

      Reply
  9. April J Harris

    March 6, 2018 at 2:45 am

    What a lovely way to serve leeks! Pinning and sharing! Thank you for bringing this yummy, cheesy recipe to the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope to ‘see’ you again this week!

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 8, 2018 at 3:27 pm

      Hi April. Thanks for pinning and sharing! x

      Reply
  10. Monika Dabrowski

    March 2, 2018 at 6:34 pm

    5 stars
    This is a gorgeous side dish, full of flavour and so easy to make too! Thank you for bringing it to #CookBlogShare:)

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 2, 2018 at 7:36 pm

      You’re welcome! Thanks for continuing to share my recipes with your readers.

      Reply
  11. Brian Watkin

    March 2, 2018 at 10:42 am

    Only have one leek in the fridge and it’s too cold to go shopping, so lunch for 2 uses your recipe and some finely sliced onions. Thanks for the idea

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 2, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      Sounds like a great plan and perfect for such a cold day.

      Reply
  12. choclette

    March 1, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    Love leeks and adore cheese, so I’d be super happy with this dish. It’s made me feel all nostalgic. My grandmother (who was a bit non-plussed by vegetarian food) used to make me something similar.

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 2, 2018 at 7:24 pm

      Ooh, I love food that makes me nostalgic. Happy memories:)

      Reply
  13. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food

    March 1, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    Oh my goodness, this looks like pure, decadent deliciousness! You treat your roux the same way that I do. So much easier!

    Reply
    • Anna

      March 2, 2018 at 7:26 pm

      Glad it looks delicious. Yes, no time for all that stirring!!

      Reply

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