This One Pan Leek Pasta is creamy, simple and so delicious. It’s packed with garlic, spring onions, leeks and shallots which gives it a strong flavour even though it only takes 25 minutes to come together (start to finish!) and is all done in one pan.
As the perfect weeknight supper, the one pan element to this leek pasta is very important. The pasta cooks in stock and cream until totally cooked through. As the pasta cooks, it releases starches into the sauce which thickens it nicely, so you are left with a perfect sauce around each pasta. I do love one-pan recipes as I find they are so hands-off and always delicious. If you need ideas, try my One Pan Pasta and Peas, or my Gouda Mac & Cheese.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It is so delicious and creamy, with perfectly cooked pasta, sweet leeks and lashings of parmesan.
- The washing up is minimal, as it all happens in one pan.
- This leek pasta is ready in 30 minutes or less, so you can have it on the table quickly and easily.
- With a few easy swaps, the dish can be made gluten-free or even vegan! Just use gluten-free pasta or vegan cream!
- The ingredients are likely to already be in your cupboards, with just a few additions needed.
Ingredients
The full recipe is below, scroll down to the printable recipe card below for the exact measurements.
Garlic: 5 cloves might seem like a lot but it balances the sweet leeks so well. As this is a fast, one-pan dish, we need all the flavour boosters such as garlic.
Spring onion: These almost add a sweetness to the dish as they caramelise with the leeks. If you don't have any, you could add an extra shallot.
Leeks: the star of the show. They turn sweet and delicious when cooked down and add such great flavour, quickly, to a dish like this.
Shallot: again, they round out the dish and pack it with flavour without it taking a long time on the stove. You could use a red onion or more spring onions if you have those instead.
Anchovy fillet: these don’t make the dish taste fishy, they just add an extra hit of umami that complements the sweetness of the leeks. I like the ones packed in oil in a jar, as then they keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks so you can reseal the jar and use again for another recipe.
Spaghetti: or use linguine. I wouldn't use angel hair pasta as it's very thin. It might not release enough starch into the sauce and won't make it as saucy.
Chicken stock: you could also use vegetable stock if you’d rather. Stock pot, stock cube or liquid stock are all fine. I tend to use Knorr stock pots, as they are easy to use and have great flavour.
Double cream: this makes it creamy and thick. You could use single cream but I find double cream has the best thickness for this dish.
Parmesan: this adds a great umami hit to the pasta. You could use Grana Padano or Pecorino too. If making for vegetarians, check the packaging as proper Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) is not vegetarian.
Burrata: this is a softer, creamier version of mozzarella that adds a luxurious finish to this one pan dish. You could use mozzarella if you can’t find any burrata, or skip all together.
Parma ham: This gets crisped up and broken into shards on top of the leek pasta. You could use serrano ham too.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it gluten free: Swap in your favourite gluten-free spaghetti or linguine.
Make it vegetarian: Make sure you use vegetable stock, vegetarian-friendly parmesan and omit the anchovies as well as the crispy parma ham on top. You could use crispy onions instead, or crispy breadcrumbs to add texture. Or roasted hazelnuts or pine nuts.
Make it vegan: Make the same swaps as above to make it vegetiarn, then just finish it with vegan double cream.
Double cream: Single cream would also work well. You could also use creme fraiche but I would add maybe 60ml more stock as it's much thicker than double cream and the pasta needs enough liquid in the pan to fully cook through.
Shallots/spring onions: If you only have one or the other, just use more than stated to make up the difference in this leek pasta.
Anchovies: If you really don't like anchovies, you could skip them or use a little teaspoon of white miso paste. This adds a similar umami layer without the fish.
Here's how to make One Pan Leek Pasta:
The full recipe is below, as usual, and it has more details but the below is an easy step-by-step guide.
ONE: In a saucepan with sides but wide enough to fit the spaghetti flat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, spring onions, leeks, and shallot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, 6 minutes.
TWO: Add the anchovy, chilli flakes and stir together.
THREE: Then add the spaghetti, stock, cream, and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
FOUR: Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and a sauce forms, 11 minutes.
FIVE: Once the pasta is tender and saucy, stir in the parmesan and then season the leek pasta with salt. Scoop into bowls, top with crispy parma ham and burrata if desired.
Cooking Tips
Stirring: the key to this leek pasta sauce is that the spaghetti releases starch into the pan as boiling, which makes it thick and creamy. So once the spaghetti has softened, use tongs to stir around as this helps with the release of the starch to make a delicious sauce.
Equipment: You will need a large pan, wide enough to sit the spaghetti in. If you have a pan that's too small, the spaghetti is likely to cook unevenly with bits of pasta sticking out of the water! It can have high sides, if that's all you have, it doesn't have to be a frying pan as shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, this recipe isn't vegetarian. However, substitute the chicken stock for veggie stock, omit the anchovy and make sure the Parmesan cheese you are using is vegetarian-friendly. Traditional Parmigiano Reggiano with the PDO label is not vegetarian but check the labels as often the more affordable hard cheeses are veggie.
Opening a whole tin of anchovies for just 1 anchovy can be slightly inconvenient – I get it but it adds such a great umami flavour to this one pan leek pasta so I don’t recommend omitting it. If you can find anchovies in a small jar instead of a tin, this makes it super easy as you can seal them again and put in the fridge. You can use the other anchovies up in this Caesar Salad dressing or in this Puttanesca pasta.
Some one pan recipes say to do so, my recipe does not. That's why it's important to have a large enough pan so that it fits the whole length of the spaghetti in it and becomes one homogenous sauce.
I like to trim the top off the leek. Then slice lengthways into two long thin halves. This means that the layers can be fanned out. I like to run it under cold water, using my fingers to brush out the dark. Give it a good shake when clean to remove the excess water. It's important here to keep the root on the leek, as that keeps it intact when rinsing. If really dirty, rinse the outside then chop as instructed. Then add to a bowl of cold water and use your hands to mix around and release any mud. Then drain (could even use a salad spinner to really get the water out) and use as directed.
Spaghetti is best. Linguine would work too.
I wouldn't advise doubling this recipe as you would need a huge pan for it and the ratios go a little funny with the pasta and absorbing the right amount of liquid. You could make this caramelised leek pasta for large numbers, as you make the sauce separate to the pasta so you don't need to worry about absorbing the right amount of liquid.
Transfer to an airtight container (tupperware) and let cool. Place in fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, I would use the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high until piping hot.
You can caramelise the leeks in advance, so take the recipe until step 1. Then when ready to eat, start at step 2, adding the spaghetti, cream and stock. UI wouldn't cook the whole dish in advance, as it could go claggy and too thick. It only takes 11 minutes on the stove to cook the pasta so it's quick and easy to begin with!
I wouldn't freeze this recipe. Freezing pasta can sometimes alter the pasta texture so this one is best enjoyed fresh.
More recipes like this one
Try my Sausage & fennel rigatoni, Lentil Bolognese (vegan) or Pasta Puttanesca for more simple pasta recipes. For leek recipes, see my Cheesy Baked Leeks or this Gruyere and Caramelised Leek Pasta.
Made this recipe and loved it?
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PrintOne Pan Leek Pasta With Crispy Parma Ham
This simple one pan leek pasta is topped with crispy parma ham and burrata. It's just as good on a busy weeknight as it is for a cosy weekend dinner, taking under 30 minutes to make.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Global
Ingredients
For the one-pan pasta:
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 anchovy fillet, drained
- Pinch of red chilli flakes
- 450g spaghetti
- 875ml chicken stock
- 175ml heavy cream
- ½ tsp Maldon salt, plus more for seasoning
- Handful (about 20g) of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
To serve:
- Burrata, to top
- Parma ham, crisped and shattered on top
Instructions
- In a saucepan with sides but wide enough to fit the spaghetti flat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, spring onions, leeks, and shallot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, 6 minutes. Add the anchovy, and chilli flakes and stir together.
- Then spaghetti, stock, cream, and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and a sauce forms, 11 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and then season with salt.
- Meanwhile, make the crispy parma ham. Line a tray with baking paper and lay down 4 slices of parma ham. Place under a hot grill for 5-7 minutes until bubbling. You could also place in the oven at 180c for 10-15 minutes. Remove from grill to cool. As it cools, it'll harden and turn crispy.
- Serve the pasta into bowls then top with torn oozy burrata and crispy parma ham and more parmesan on the top.
Notes
Equipment: You need a saucepan that’s wide enough for the spaghetti to fit in. It doesn’t have to be massively high sided (it can be!) but just wide.
Anvchovy: Use a jar of anchovies so you can reseal it and use for other recipes. If you really don't want to use it, either omit or use a teaspoon of white miso paste for an umami hit, albeit not totally the same! Anchovies are best!
Doubling the recipe: I wouldn't advise doubling this recipe as you would need a huge pan for it and the ratios go a little funny with the pasta and absorbing the right amount of liquid. You could make this caramelised leek pasta for large numbers, as you make the sauce separate to the pasta so you don't need to worry about absorbing the right amount of liquid.
Make ahead: You can caramelise the leeks in advance, so take the recipe until step 1. Then when ready to eat, start at step 2, adding the spaghetti, cream and stock. UI wouldn't cook the whole dish in advance, as it could go claggy and too thick. It only takes 11 minutes on the stove to cook the pasta so it's quick and easy to begin with!
To store: Transfer to an airtight container (tupperware) and let cool. Place in fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat: I would use the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high until piping hot.
To freeze: I wouldn't freeze this recipe. Freezing pasta can sometimes alter the pasta texture so this one is best enjoyed fresh.
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