Sweet leek carbonara

Name: Sweet leek carbonara
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 large leeks; 4 cloves of garlic; 4 sprigs of fresh thyme; 1 knob of unsalted butter; olive oil; 300 g dried spaghetti; 50 g Parmesan or pecorino cheese plus extra to serve; 1 large egg

Fresh thyme, garlic, cracked black pepper & Parmesan

Vegetarianv

“My veggie twist on a classic carbonara champions incredibly sweet leeks, thyme and plenty of cracked black pepper. It’s well worth slow-cooking the leeks here – leave them to gently tick away while you get on with other things. ”

Serves 4

Cooks In50 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Leek Pasta & risotto Healthy meals Healthy vegetarian recipes Healthy dinner ideas Cheap & cheerful

Nutrition per serving

Calories 418 21%
Fat 14.4g 21%
Saturates 6g 30%
Sugars 4.4g 5%
Salt 0.8g 13%
Protein 17g 34%
Carbs 58.9g 23%
Fibre 2.3g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Veg

By Jamie Oliver

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Ingredients

2 large leeks
4 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 knob of unsalted butter
olive oil
300 g dried spaghetti
50 g Parmesan or pecorino cheese , plus extra to serve
1 large egg

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Veg

By Jamie Oliver

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Method

Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks. Peel and finely slice the garlic and pick the thyme leaves, then place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat with the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Once sizzling, stir in the leeks and 400ml of water, then cover and simmer gently over a low heat for 40 minutes, or until sweet and soft, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
When the leeks are almost done, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.
Toss the drained pasta into the leek pan, then remove from the heat and wait 2 minutes for the pan to cool slightly while you finely grate the cheese and beat it with the egg (if the pan’s too hot, it’ll scramble; get it right and it’ll be smooth, silky and deliciously elegant).
Loosen the egg mixture with a splash of reserved cooking water, then pour over the pasta, tossing vigorously (the egg will cook in the residual heat).
Season to absolute perfection, going a little OTT on the pepper. Adjust the consistency with extra cooking water, if needed, and finish with a little stroke of cheese. Fantastic served with a glass of cold Italian white wine.