Creamy leeks with pasta

*Post by Angela.

I had a lot of chores to take care of this evening, so I needed a quick and filling dinner, one that would use up the leeks I bought on a whim a couple of days ago.  Instead of looking up a recipe like I usually would, I decided to wing it using the ingredients I already had in my fridge.  This is what I came up with:

And it was pretty delicious.

 
List of ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized leeks
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 heaping teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• Dash of kosher salt
• 9-oz package of fresh angel hair pasta

 

I started out slicing up 4 medium-sized leeks, using only the white and lighter green parts.  I cut them into about 1/4 inch slices and then rinsed the slices in a bowl of water, since leeks can often hide dirt in between their layers.

I drained the leeks, then put them in a pot with about 3/4 of a cup of low-sodium chicken broth, 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and a generous teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.  

I brought the mixture to a boil, covered, and reduced to the lowest heat possible, letting the leeks cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Right before the leeks were done, I boiled a 9-ounce package of fresh angel hair pasta and drained it.  I added about a 1/2 cup of cream, a 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a dash of salt to the leeks and simmered until the mixture had thickened slightly. 

Using tongs, I added the pasta to the leek mixture and thoroughly tossed.  

I served myself up a plate and topped with a little more cheese.  Really simple and really yummy.  AND, if you replace the chicken broth with either mock chicken broth (available at Whole Foods) or vegetable broth, another nice and easy vegetarian pasta dish (as long as you don't count cream and butter in the verboten column). 

Comments

[suitablegirl]

I was WONDERING about a veggie substitution by the middle and there you go, at the end, giving it to me. :D Thank you!

[Koala Bear]

No problem! I actually tried being a vegetarian for a few months last year, and fell in love with mock chicken broth - you really can't tell the difference between it and the real deal.