Meatless Monday Lemony White Cheddar Pasta with Leeks & Spinach
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian, Pasta, Meatless Monday
- Cuisine: Dinner
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The summer before starting high school, I flew to England to spend the end of summer vacation with my childhood friends. For part of the visit, I took the bus from Southampton to Cambridge. Now, this was waaaaayyy before smart phones, and I was a 14 year old girl navigating through the British bus system alone. Talk about the ultimate adventure! Also, one of the many sources that fueled my sense of adventure to this day.
So, I travel to Cambridge to visit a friend who was going to university in Cambridge. We took a short gondola ride on the River Cam… short because she had to flirt with the gondolier to give us the quick ride! We sat at a pub along the river and had a shandy. And when we went back to her flat, she made me pasta with leeks and white cheddar. Honestly, it was probably the first time I ever had leeks! But it was soooo good.
When I returned home, for years after, I tried to recreate the pasta, but lacking any cooking skills at the time, I could never make a creamy cheese sauce. Then, I totally forgot about the dish until a couple of weeks ago and it suddenly popped back into my head. Now that I actually know how to cook, I decided to revamp the dish.
This dish is super simple to throw together. It all comes together in less than half an hour and is so full of flavor. Leeks have a very distinct flavor. Although they’re in the onion family, they add more herbiness to the dish. I was hesitant to add lemon to a white cheddar sauce, but I stuck with my gut and was super happy with the results.
Although this is a creamy sauce, it doesn’t feel heavy. The leeks and lemon make the dish feel light. Pair it with a salad and some crusty bread and you have a filling and healthful dinner!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 lb shortcut pasta
8 oz Vermont white cheddar, shredded
3 small leeks, cut into ¼” rounds ~ discard the darkest green parts of the leek
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 loose cups spinach
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
3 TB butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp white pepper
salt
1 TB olive oil
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil olive in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and lightly salt. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until just starting to soften. Add the garlic and shallots. Cook for a minute or 2, or until fragrant. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined with the butter. Slowly add in the white wine, heavy cream, and vegetable broth. Stir until well combined and the sauce starts to thicken. Add the cheese and white pepper and stir until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt.
Add in the pasta, lemon juice, and zest. Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce. Add in the spinach, stirring until the spinach has wilted.
Serve!
Great with crusty bread and a salad.
Keywords: Meatless Monday, Vegetarian Pasta, Lemon Pasta, Pasta with Leeks, Pasta with Spinach
Pasta turned out great, and struck a nice balance between creamy and fresh-tasting. Perfect end-of-summer pasta when you want comfort food but nothing too rich or heavy. The lemon was a nice touch and complemented the richness of the cream sauce. The only thing I changed was to reduce the number of leeks to two, but the leeks at my grocery store tend to be on the larger size.
★★★★★