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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Easy Cheesy Leeks

    Published: Oct 4, 2021 · Modified: Sep 21, 2022 by Beth Sachs · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    An easy cheesy leeks recipe! The perfect vegetable side dish for roast dinner or Christmas lunch!

    Tender leeks are smothered in a smooth cheesy sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, and baked in the oven until crispy and golden!

    Cheesy leeks in a baking dish.
    Cheesy leeks in a baking dish

    I love leeks in cheese sauce and often make it as a side dish to our traditional Sunday roast dinners!

    I've also been known to eat them on their own with some crusty bread too!

    👩‍🍳 Looking for another tasty cheesy vegetable side dish? You'll want to try this easy creamed cabbage recipe!

    Jump to:
    • ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Top tips
    • 🍴 Serving cheesy leeks
    • 📖 Variations
    • 🥡 Storage
    • ❓ FAQs
    • 😋Related recipes
    • Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!

    • Delicious vegetable side dish.
    • Cheesy and comforting.
    • Perfect for roast dinners or Christmas lunch.
    • Freezer Friendly.

    🛒 Ingredients

    Ingredients for cheesy leeks recipe.
    • Leeks - use thin young leeks which are much more tender than thicker older leeks.
    • For the cheese sauce - you'll need butter, flour, milk, grated cheddar cheese, nutmeg, and dijon mustard.
    • For the crunchy topping - breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan.

    🔪 Instructions

    The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

    Step one: Prepare your leeks by discarding the thick outer leaves, and removing any dirt by rinsing them under cold running water. Top and tail the leeks to remove the root and also the dark green top half. Chop the leeks into 5cm chunks.

    💡 Pro tip! Save the dark green part of the leeks for making stock.

    Step two: Leeks need pre-cooking, otherwise they will be chewy and tough. I prefer to boil or steam the leeks for 5 minutes in salted boiling water.

    Preparing the leeks for the leeks in cheese sauce recipe.

    Step 3: Make the cheese sauce (using the roux method). Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk. Keep whisking until the sauce starts to thicken and it coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the grated cheese, nutmeg, and dijon mustard.

    Making the cheese sauce for the leeks.

    Step 4: Assemble the leeks in a baking dish and pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

    Baked leeks in a cheese sauce.

    💭 Top tips

    • Spoon a little cheese sauce into the base of your baking dish to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom of the dish.
    • If you prefer, you can pre-cook your leeks by frying them instead of boiling. Fry them in a tablespoon of butter until they are just starting to caramelise.
    • Use extra-mature cheddar for the cheese sauce. It complements the sweet leeks nicely!

    🍴 Serving cheesy leeks

    Cheesy leeks are delicious as part of a roast dinner (they go really well with my slow cooker lamb breast and slow cooker roast beef), alongside carrot and swede mash, air fryer brussels sprouts, honey roast parsnips and carrots, crunchy air fryer roast potatoes, air fryer stuffing balls, and slow cooker red cabbage!

    I also serve them with sticky sausage traybake or air fryer chicken breasts for an easy mid-week meal!

    📖 Variations

    • Fry three chopped rashers of streaky bacon and stir through the cheese sauce for cheesy leeks with bacon!
    • Make cheesy leeks and broccoli by adding half a head of broccoli florets (boil them with the leeks) and doubling the amount of cheese sauce.
    • Make creamy cheesy leeks by replacing half the milk in the cheese sauce for double (heavy) cream.
    • Use different cheeses! Stilton or gruyere would both work well instead of cheddar.
    • Add 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the cheese sauce at the same time as the grated cheese.
    Baked leeks in cheese sauce on a plate with brussels sprouts and parmentier potatoes.

    🥡 Storage

    Store: This is a great recipe for making ahead and storing in the fridge until you are ready to bake! You can make the leeks in cheese sauce up to 3 days ahead of time!

    Reheat: Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave until piping hot.

    Freeze: The cheesy leeks can also be frozen (baked or un-baked) for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in clingfilm or foil and defrost at room temperature before baking or reheating.

    ❓ FAQs

    What goes well with leeks?

    Leeks partner well with meats such as chicken and ham, cheeses, cream, and garlic. Complementary herbs include thyme, basil, lemon, and mustard. Leeks can be fried, braised, boiled in soups or stocks, roasted in an oven (in a cheese sauce!), and used in most recipes in place of onions.

    Can leeks be eaten uncooked?

    Leeks are sweeter and milder than onions and can be eaten raw if desired. I personally prefer to cook them before eating.

    😋Related recipes

    More delicious vegetable side dishes to try!

    • Roast Courgettes
    • Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli
    • Roast Sweet Potatoes
    • Butternut Squash Gratin

    Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!

    Recipe

    Leeks in a cheese sauce.
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    5 from 7 votes

    Easy Cheesy Leeks

    An easy cheesy leeks recipe! Tender leeks are smothered in a smooth cheesy sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, and baked in the oven until crispy and golden!
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine British
    Keyword cheesy leeks, leeks in cheese sauce
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 325kcal
    Author Beth Sachs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Chopping Board
    • Knife
    • Saucepan
    • Oven Proof Baking Dish

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 4 Leeks thin leeks are best
    • 30 g Butter
    • 30 g Plain Flour
    • 350 ml Milk
    • 100 g Extra Mature Cheddar grated
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
    • ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg grated
    • 2 tablespoon Breadcrumbs
    • 25 g Parmesan grated
    • Salt and Pepper

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 200°C (180 fan/ Gas 6).
    • Prepare your leeks by discarding the thick outer leaves, and removing any dirt by rinsing them under cold running water. Top and tail the leeks to remove the root and also the dark green top half. All you want left are the white and pale green parts of the leek. Chop the leeks into 5 cm chunks.
    • Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the leeks to the water, return to the boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
    •  Make the cheese sauce (using the roux method). Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk gradually. Keep whisking until the sauce starts to thicken and it coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the grated cheese, nutmeg, and dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Assemble the leeks in a baking dish. Spoon a small amount of the cheese sauce in the bottom of the baking dish (2 tablespoons should be enough), lay the leeks into the dish, then pour over the rest of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

    Notes

    Top Tips:
    • Spoon a little cheese sauce into the base of your baking dish to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom of the dish.
    • If you prefer, you can pre-cook your leeks by frying them instead of boiling. Fry them in a tablespoon of butter until they are just starting to caramelise.
    • Use extra-mature cheddar for the cheese sauce. It complements the sweet leeks nicely!
     
    Variations:
    • Fry three chopped rashers of streaky bacon and stir through the cheese sauce for cheesy leeks with bacon!
    • Make cheesy leeks and broccoli by adding half a head of broccoli florets (boil them with the leeks) and doubling the amount of cheese sauce.
    • Make creamy cheesy leeks by replacing half the milk in the cheese sauce for double (heavy) cream.
    • Use different cheeses! Stilton or gruyere would both work well instead of cheddar.
    • Add 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves to the cheese sauce at the same time as the grated cheese.
     
    Storage:
    This is a great recipe for making ahead and storing in the fridge until you are ready to bake! You can make the leeks in cheese sauce up to 3 days ahead of time! The dish can also be frozen (baked or unbaked) for up to 3 months.
     
    Nutrition:
    The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
     
    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Cheesy Leeks
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    325
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    17
    g
    26
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    8
    g
    50
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    4
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    39
    mg
    13
    %
    Sodium
     
    362
    mg
    16
    %
    Potassium
     
    331
    mg
    9
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    29
    g
    10
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    8
    g
    9
    %
    Protein
     
    16
    g
    32
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1930
    IU
    39
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    11
    mg
    13
    %
    Calcium
     
    426
    mg
    43
    %
    Iron
     
    3
    mg
    17
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alisa Infanti

      October 04, 2021 at 1:31 pm

      5 stars
      This was perfect with my roast beef dinner last night!

      Reply
    2. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      October 04, 2021 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Love all the ingredients, can’t wait to try this! It looks so delicious and easy!

      Reply
    3. Caroline

      October 04, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      5 stars
      My mum used to make something like this when I was little, but I haven't had it in ages. Such an easy comforting side!

      Reply
    4. Emily Flint

      October 04, 2021 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      I know anything with cheese in the name is going to be a favorite of mine but I didn't expect to like these as much as I did! It could be a meal all in itself and totally reminds me of mac and cheese...but with more veggies!

      Reply
    5. Toni

      October 04, 2021 at 2:38 pm

      5 stars
      This is seriously amazing! A new favorite side dish at my house!

      Reply
    6. Jo

      December 10, 2021 at 4:08 pm

      If you make this in advance (without breadcrumbs), would you simply then add breadcrumbs and cook in normal way in the oven? And reheat leftovers in microwave? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Beth Sachs

        December 13, 2021 at 8:00 pm

        Yes that's the way I would do it!

        Reply

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    Beth Sachs Food Blogger

    Hi, I’m Beth, a Mum of three (and one crazy dog), living in Cornwall, UK. I love creating easy, delicious and fuss-free recipes, perfect for busy families, just like my own.

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