Deeply savory with a hint of sweetness, this caramelized leek and lemon pasta is the perfect weeknight meal when you need some comfort food.
If you haven’t noticed, I post quite a few lemon recipes on this blog. There’s my lemon asparagus pasta, lemon and pesto pizza, and creamy lemon chicken thighs, just to name a few. And that’s because lemon is one of my sister-in-law Julie’s favorite ingredients. So after a difficult mom weekend for her, when both her three-year old and six-month old were sick and she spent hours in the ER and urgent care (both kids are doing much better now), my brother Ben knew that she needed an absolute comfort meal on Sunday night. And for Julie, a comfort meal means a lemony one, so he made this caramelized leek and lemon pasta.
This caramelized leek and lemon pasta has the perfect balance of all the flavors you would expect from it. It is deeply savory with just a hint of sweetness from the leeks, sharp and tangy from the lemons, and the addition of shallots and lots of garlic give it that classic pasta-dish feel. So if you’re anything like Julie and crave lemony dishes for comfort, this pasta is most definitely the dish for you.
A WEEKNIGHT PASTA
I talk a lot on this blog about weeknight recipes, recipes that are easy to whip up when you don’t have tons of time and energy. And while we made this caramelized leek and lemon pasta on a Sunday night, everyone in the house was grateful that it was an easy one after a weekend with a crying baby and toddler. Once your leeks and cleaned and trimmed (see my note below), all you’ll need to do is sauté them with a bit of butter, shallot and garlic. Add in tons of lemon zest and juice to de-glaze the pan and give this dish its signature lemony flavor, and toss in a little bit of starchy pasta water to loosen the sauce. Toss the sauce with your cooked pasta and dinner is ready.
We chose to serve our caramelized leek and lemon pasta with some chicken cutlets that my brother fried up. We happen to really love chicken cutlets in my family, and after I brought a ton of them back from a family party that my brother couldn’t attend and he ate them all within a few minutes of my arriving home, he figured he would make up for depriving the household of cutlets by serving them with this pasta. But while this pasta works perfectly as a dinner all unto itself, you could certainly choose to serve it with a meat protein like these chicken Frances meatballs or this weeknight baked salmon. Or, if you’re looking for a boost of protein without adding meat, you could do what I did in this spaghetti with brussels sprouts and cannellini beans and throw in a can of your favorite beans.
COOKING WITH LEEKS
Leeks are one of my all-time favorite ingredients to use. They are distinctly onion-y, but in a much milder way with just a hint of sweetness. And when caramelized, I think they add the perfect savory-sweet balance to just about any dish you use them in. The only difficulty that leeks pose is in cleaning and trimming them. Since they grow partially in the ground, often times they are very full of dirt and grit, and need to be soaked to remove all that from between their many layers. Here’s a great guide on how to clean and trim leeks. I think this is a totally worth-it step in any dish that includes leeks, but sometimes you can find them pre-cleaned and trimmed (they have them at Trader Joe’s), making them even easier to work with.
Caramelized Leek and Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (you can use your favorite shape)
- 2 shallots, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- olive oil
- salt
- parmesan cheese, for seving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Clean and trim your leeks (if not already cleaned). Slice in half the long way, then slice into 1/4 inch thick half-moons.
- Once the water is boiling, add your pasta and lower heat to medium. Cook as per the instructions on the box, until still al dente.
- While the pasta cooks: in a large sauté pan, heat a good drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and leeks and cook until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until slightly browned and fragrant, another two minutes.
- Drain the pasta once cooked, but reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water.
- Add the lemon juice and zest to the pan with the leeks and cook for 1 minute. Then add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water as needed, until you have a silky sauce. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.
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