Meet the leek. It’s one of those those love-it-or-don’t-know-what-the-heck-to-do-with-it veggies with a mild onion flavor, tough green stalks, and not a lot of options if you’re feeling confused by its shape, size, and flavor. First things first? Learning how to cut, clean, and use the leek. We promise it’s an incredible addition to the kitchen once you’ve mastered the basics.
After you feel comfortable with this allium, try roasting leeks, topping them on a galette, making homemade potato leek soup, and even covering them with cheese for a delicious au gratin. Start with one of our favorite 9 leek recipes below.
Garlic and Leek Braided Challah
This twisted, semi-sweet loaf most closely resembles a brioche with one big difference: no butter (or dairy whatsoever) is used in the classic Jewish challah. This one is chock-full of minced garlic and sautéed leeks, adding savory, oniony flavors throughout the eggy dough.
Potato Leek Gratin
Creamy, cheesy, and full of garlic, potatoes, and leeks—what’s not to love about this comforting gratin recipe? Serve it at your next brunch and be prepared for your guests to ask for second and third servings.
Lemony Brussels Sprouts and Leek Salad
Here, the silky texture and nutty taste of caramelized leeks softens the natural bitterness of baby cabbages. Toss in some earthy peas and a spritz of brightening citrus, and you have a total crowd pleaser. It makes the perfect side dish for Sunday dinners or can even be a veggie-centric main for lunch. Best of all, it requires only one pan, so clean up is a breeze!
Leek and Bacon Linguine
Bacon makes everything better and this dish, chock-full of creamy butter sauce, nutty parmesan cheese, and sautéed leeks is no exception. Everything comes together with lots of thin pasta and fresh herbs for a nearly one-pot dish that’ll quickly find its way into your regular dinner rotation.
Roasted Parmesan Leeks
Sometimes the best dishes are the simplest, like these roasted leeks that call for just five ingredients: leeks, butter, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Once roasted, oniony leeks become soft and nutty, which pairs perfect with creamy butter and parmesan. Serve as a side or top with a fried egg for a vegetarian-friendly brunch in less than 30 minutes.
Potato Leek Soup
You’ll often find potatoes and leeks paired together. The mild potato pairs perfectly with the sharp onion flavor of the leek. When cooked and blended together, you’re left with a creamy, warming soup that’ll heat up any cold winter night. This recipe even gives you two ways to cook the soup: on the strove top or in an Instant Pot.
Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken
A lot of times you can substitute leeks if you’re low on onions. Or, if you love onion flavor but a recipe doesn’t necessarily call for it, leeks can be a great addition. They don’t have the same intense onion flavor—it’s more like a hint—but they still add layers of flavor to dishes like creamed mushrooms and chicken.
Sautéd Cabbage and Leeks
Cabbage and leeks are two veggies that leave a lot of people scratching their heads, which is why we’re big fans of dishes that combine the two. Lightly sautéing cabbage will remove some of its natural bitterness and crunch, while adding leeks and bacon provides even more layers of nutty, salty flavor. Serve it as a simple side dish or slater it over chicken.
One Pot Creamy, Cheesy Leek Pasta
This one pot pasta dish is comforting and indulgent, yet you can feel good about eating it thanks to a plethora of leeks.
Comments (9)
What if I change my mind and want to cancel?
Great question! If you’d like to pause or cancel your subscription, please log in and visit your account page here: https://www.misfitsmarket.com/account Then, click “Manage Subscription.” On the right side of the page, you’ll be able to change your subscription preferences—preferred day, frequency, and box size. Or, scroll down to “need a break?” to skip, pause, or cancel. Thank you!
I need to skip three more weeks. It continues to ask for my order number. I don’t have one. Thanks so much. Kay Fowler
Hi Kay, thank you for your question! We edited it to remove personal information as this is a public comments section.
If you’d like to pause or cancel your subscription, please log in and visit your account page here: https://www.misfitsmarket.com/account Then, click “Manage Subscription.” On the right side of the page, you’ll be able to change your subscription preferences—preferred day, frequency, and box size. Or, scroll down to “need a break?” to skip, pause, or cancel.
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I am most disappointed in my box that I received on January 7th. I understand that the produce is 2nd grade; however, you state that is always good and sometimes normal. I received a box that was full of apples; however, they came very bruised, Additionally, the apples were very mealy and not something that my grandsons or I would eat. The pears were also bruised to the point that they are hardly edible. If this is what I should expect in my next box, I will cancel my subscription. I do not expect perfection, but I would like something edible. The carrots were huge and broken. My first, second, and third boxes were good, but if this is what I can expect in the future, I don’t need it. I was going to give my children the email information, but if this is what they can expect, they do not need it also.
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest
but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go
ahead and bookmark your website to come back down the road.
Many thanks
Just got our 3rd box and loving it. Only a couple issues over all three which may be related to the cold weather. Cukes were soft and unedible, and tomatoes flavorless. I’ve learned not to order the more “delicate” items. Other than that, we love everything. The red Boston lettuce was massive and lasted two weeks after rinsed and stored. Apples and pears made it into at least three gallettes. Chard made it into a cauliflower gruyere casserole. Onions, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, and more have been excellent. Minimal to no bruising – can’t find whatever the issues are on most items. Keep up the good work. Just be careful in offering those easily bruised items.
I was very disappointed to see that a link to this article came in the same newsletter that started out with “Preventing food waste is near and dear to our hearts.” and yet these instructions for leeks suggest composting the dark green parts. From where I stand, suggesting that the dark green parts of leek are not edible is no different than suggesting kale is inedible because it is so tough. With proper prepping, the dark green parts can be used in many dishes and in fact are generally tastier than the white parts of the leek. I only cut off the parts that have started to split or brown, but the rest is quite edible. Here are three recipes that use the whole leek and eliminate such wasteful practice:
Leek&Potato Soup:
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/may/11/leek-tops-soup-recipe-food-waste-not-tom-hunt
Soupy Leek Rice:
https://www.tastecooking.com/recipes/soupy-leek-rice/
and my favorite, Leeks in Olive Oil (Turkish dish):
https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2010/06/zeytinyagli-pirasa-leeks-carrots-and-rice-cooked-with-olive-oil/
I contacted Misfits when my pears were too bruised to eat and they apologized and gave me a credit. Otherwise the items seemed to be fresher than anything I can get at the grocery store. Im very pleased~