Leek Pasta Recipe

This buttery Leek Pasta is loaded up with sweet leeks in three different forms. It starts with a base of softened leeks with lemon, garlic, and parmesan, and gets finished off with some homemade leek butter and crispy fried leeks to serve. This dish is truly a celebration of leeks in every bite!

Leeks are one of our favorite ingredients. This versatile vegetable can elevate a variety of dishes, including salads, pastas, soups, and more with their subtle and sweet onion flavor.

This easy-to-make pasta dish really lets leeks shine! If you love leeks, we just know you'll love this recipe!

Looking for new recipes to use leeks in? You'll love them on this burrata prosciutto arugula salad, or in this Finnish salmon soup (lohikeitto).

If you're looking for new and unique pasta recipes to try, you may also enjoy our duck pasta recipe, this lobster pasta, or this squid ink pasta with calamari!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients with elevated flavor. You only need 8 simple ingredients to prepare this recipe. Anything you need to make it can be found at any grocery store if you don't already have things on hand to prepare it. Don't let the simple ingredients fool you, this dish has elevated flavors!
• Approachable recipe. You don't need to be a chef to make this restaurant-worthy dish. Home cooks of all skill levels can master it!
• Versatile. This pasta is a versatile side or course in any meal. It's a great accompaniment to chicken, fish, shrimp, pork, and more.

🧈Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Leeks. We use both the light green and the dark green parts of the leek. We separate them because the dark green parts need to cook for longer, as they are a bit more tough.
• Lemon. If possible, use an organic lemon because we will use both the zest and juice.
• Butter. We recommend using unsalted butter so that you can control the salt level completely. Use high-quality, great-tasting butter here because it will impact the flavor a lot.
• Oil. Avocado oil or olive oil would be a good choice.
• Pasta. Any pasta you like works here. We chose Bucatini and it was incredible! Make sure to reserve pasta water!
• Parmesan. It's very important to hand-grate the cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting properly, so do it yourself to get the best melt.
• Leek butter. Technically optional, but it adds additional depth of leek flavor to the pasta! It can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• No leek butter. If you don't want to make leek butter, you don't have to, and you can just add a bit of extra unsalted butter at the end of cooking instead.
• Swap the parmesan. You can use asiago, or pecorino romano cheese instead of parmesan if you prefer.

✨Variations

• Dairy-free or vegan. Use vegan butter in place of regular butter and dairy-free cheese in place of parmesan. Also be sure to use pasta that is made without eggs.
• Gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta. Everything else is in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
• Spicier. Add more red pepper flakes to give this dish a little more kick.
• Extra garlicky. Feel free to add more garlic to taste!
• Add in shallots or onions. For even more depth of flavor, you can cook down some sweet onions or shallots alongside the leeks.
• Serve with extras like this delicious cherry tomato confit!

🔪Prep work

• Make the (optional) leek butter up to 7 days in advance and store it in the fridge.
• Mince the garlic.
• Grate the parmesan cheese.
• Zest and juice the lemon.
• Separate the white/light green parts of the leeks from the dark green parts. Discard any layers that are beginning to wilt or damage, as well as the stems and roots. Cut both parts into rounds and keep them separate.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil for the pasta.
• Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Take the separated dark green parts of the leeks and the light green parts of the leeks and place them in separate bowls with water. (Image 1)

Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes, shaking them gently with your fingers to get rid of any dirt that is trapped in the layers of the leeks.

Then, place them on a paper towel-lined bowl or tray and dry them off very well.

Meanwhile, begin cooking the pasta for 1-2 minutes under the package directions for al dente! They will continue to cook in the sauce, so we want them to be slightly undercooked.

Heat a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add in some of the oil and the dark green parts of the leeks with a pinch of salt. (Image 2)

Cook until the leeks have softened considerably, about 3-4 minutes. (Image 3)

Add the cooked pasta to the cooked buttery leek mixture, along with a splash of pasta water. Toss to combine. (Image 8)

Add in parmesan cheese in small handfuls, tossing to combine, and adding more pasta water as needed to melt the cheese. (Image 9).

When all of the parmesan is incorporated, add in the optional leek butter, (or a few tablespoons of unsalted butter), along with the lemon zest and lemon juice. (Image 10)

If you'd like to make fried leeks to top the pasta, we've included instructions here. This step is optional, so feel free to skip it if you prefer.

Start by heating oil in a small, deep saucepan. Once hot, add in cleaned and well-dried parts of the light green parts of the leeks only! (Image 11)

Cook, stirring often to prevent burning, until you notice small golden brown bits appearing in the leeks. (Image 12)

Remove from the saucepan using a slotted spoon, then place on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the excess grease. (Image 13) Sprinkle with salt, and let cool!

Now, just top the pasta with the crispy leeks. (Image 14)

Serve and enjoy!