By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Updated April 22, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,755)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In this reinterpretation of the classic French dish leeks vinaigrette, tender braised leeks are bathed in a punchy miso vinaigrette, tossed with creamy white beans then served with an oozy soft egg for an easy, comforting midweek meal. Steady, gentle heat is the key to achieving the rich, jamlike leeks, coaxing out their sweetness while ensuring that they stay silky. The miso leeks can also be eaten in other ways — on a slice of toast, stirred through warm potatoes or pasta, or tossed with French lentils and peppery arugula for a simple salad. Make sure you use the whole leek. Many recipes recommend the white part only, but the green parts, while slightly tougher with a stronger flavor, can also be cooked and tenderized, especially in recipes where they are braised. The miso leeks improve over time and can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge.
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings (about 4 heaping cups)
- 2large leeks (about 1 pound), roots and wrinkled tops trimmed, stalks halved lengthwise, white and green parts thinly sliced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2fresh thyme sprigs
- 4eggs
- 2(14-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or butter beans, drained
- Handful tarragon or parsley leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
- Toasted bread (optional), for serving
- 4teaspoons white miso paste
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1garlic clove, grated
- 2teaspoons red-wine vinegar
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Leeks
For the Miso Vinaigrette
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
488 calories; 19 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 925 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the leeks: Place the sliced leeks into a colander and rinse them well, rubbing to loosen any dirt. Rinse them again and drain well. (There is no need to dry them, as the residual water is useful in cooking the leeks.)
Step
2
Heat a large Dutch oven or skillet on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the leeks. Season generously with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid cooks off and leeks start to stick to the pan, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step
3
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high. Add the eggs and continue to cook over medium-high for 7 minutes. (Make sure you set a timer.) Set up an ice bath. Using a spider ladle or slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water and immediately add them to the ice bath. Cool for 3 to 4 minutes, then peel and set aside.
Step
4
Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together the miso paste, Dijon mustard, garlic, vinegar and olive oil.
Step
5
Uncover the leeks — they will have reduced into a silky, jammy consistency. Discard the thyme, transfer the leeks to the bowl and stir to coat in the miso vinaigrette.
Step
6
Stir in the white beans and leave to cool for a few minutes. Add about ¾ of the tarragon or parsley leaves and toss gently to combine.
Step
7
Divide the leeks and beans among bowls and drizzle each with olive oil. Top with a halved jammy egg and finish with the remaining herbs. Serve with toast, if desired.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,755
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Cold Beans
I heated the beans for 5 minutes with the leaks and it came out very nice. I would not leave the beans cold
Amber
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is I because I would rather have the white beans a little softer but I think it works well either way! Literally licking the bowl. So good.
Les is More
What great timing - we actually had just about everything on hand to make this (and admittedly not much else!). Subbed 4 scallions and half a yellow onion for the leeks, subbed TJ Everything but the Leftovers seasoning for the thyme. We warmed the beans for a couple minutes at the end - didn’t seem to need or benefit from 20 minutes. Perfect weekday dinner - quick, easy, cheap and tasty. A repeater.
M
Something very out of whack in the nutritional information for this recipe .. 1600 calories a serving?
Emmy
Jamie Oliver has a great recipe for leeks and white beans in his Cook with Jamie which I make with or without the beans. But I always add a little liquid (chicken stock or white wine) when I braise the leeks, and I use both olive oil and a bit of butter to start the leeks. It's a fantastic base for any number of variations. Recently I added small cubed Yukon gold potatoes to the leeks before adding white wine and thyme. I finished the whole thing off with a little cream. A winner!
suggestions
Are the beans not warmed up?
Jola
Made it exactly as written except adding drained beans to the leaks in the pan for a couple of minutes to warm up. Absolutely delicious! Lovely flavor of miso vinaigrette.
Alexandra G.
I hate runny and hard boiled eggs (sorry). What can I serve this with to make it a complete entree? I’m thinking pork loin…thoughts?
LCJ
Ok, this is definitely a big riff, but it was great: mix the vinaigrette, beans, garlic, and scallions (instead of leeks) together. Prepare parchment packets layering a lemon slice, the bean mix, and chunks of salmon. Drizzle a TB of EVOO and a TB of vermouth & salt and pepper and another lemon slice and thyme sprig. Seal up and bake at 450 for about 14 min. Very tasty and straight forward to make
Ediv
This dressing is delicious. Another fabulous Hetty recipe. A riff for pescatarians/tinned fish enthusiasts: Replace the egg with good quality tinned mackerel in oil. Use the oil from the can to cook the leeks. Put a little scoop of the leek/bean mixture, a hunk of mackerel, and some pickled onion on a saltine. Devour and repeat.
Lorraine G
This was soo good. Fantastic flavor. I made a few tiny modifications to the steps. After combining the leeks with the vinaigrette, sautéed chopped asparagus in the pan. Then added my beans and combined with leek mixture when it was all warm. Everything melded beautifully. I lightly salted the leeks and put a bit of Maldon on top when I served. Not too salty. I always rinse my beans too. Wishing I had some crusty bread to eat with it. Next time.
Leah
Was thinking that the miso vinaigrette plus the tarragon would make a killer potato salad. Has anyone tried that?
Jan Powell
This is a delicious dish. The miso dressing is amazing. But when I make it again, and I will, I’ll cut the leeks even smaller. They are jammy but a little stringy. Great recipe!
Kerri
I also added the beans and cooked them for a couple of minutes. We ate with arugula and French bread. It was delicious. I will definitely make again.
Aliska
I was skeptical of using the entire leek but it works. I used navy beans, skipped the egg, and just served it on toast like bruschetta - it was delicious. The miso dressing is wonderful.
Sandy (CA)
Well worth the 20 minutes on low heat: great jammy texture, delicious miso flavor. Our summer tsunami of zucchini is underway, so I sautéed some before adding the leeks. Also, in place of toast, I cooked some rotelli in the boiling egg water and threw it in, along with half cup pasta water: an effective swap.
Lauren Peterson
Doubled the miso dressing and 🤩
Soft beans, strong flavor
After stirring in the beans, I actually heated the whole dish up before stirring everything else in. It was so good- I couldn't imagine having them not heated up!I do think it made the miso and garlic flavors a bit more pungent though so if you want your beans a bit softer and warm by heating them up, then tone down the garlic and miso by like a quarter!
AB
These are ridiculously good. Thanks to other reviewers, I added the beans to the skillet for five minutes to heat them through before serving. I serve these with toasted, rustic bread and Martha Rose Shulman's Chopped Salad With Apples, Walnuts and Bitter Lettuces. A delicious combination!
Lisa
I thought I’d love this and just didn’t. The flavors were good, but the texture was just mush for bite after bite. I am glad I heated up the beans as recommended in other comments because if not, it would have been a cold bean salad with a lukewarm jammy egg (which did turn out perfectly!) on top.
Eva
Superb. Making for the second time now. I cook the white beans from dried (pressure cooker) because it’s cheaper and I prefer the texture and flavor, but I’m sure when I’m short on time I’ll use canned. Either way, this recipe punches above its weight. I’m tempted to make a double batch next time!
Dorothy
May, 2024. Had one leek, one can of cannellini beans, and 2 cloves of garlic. Jammed the leeks, heated the beans with them, and stirred in the vinaigrette. Served on good bread, toasted. Delicious. Explore variations.
Joan
Wonderful. Served on a bed of mustard greens and added some smoked trout on top for protein. That dressing is divine.
misoman
Delicious recipe. I had leftover miso vinaigrette so I marinated salmon in it overnight and it was incredible
gordon
Absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe word for word. Made the vinaigrette and leeks the day before as suggested. (6 minute eggs for our taste next time.)Destined to go into our regular rotation.
Jenn Johnson
We enjoyed this for a simple meatless Monday dinner. It was very satisfying and filling. I did warm the beans in the skillet for a few minutes. I think I would add a little water or reserved liquid from the beans to loosen it up next time. (We southerners like our beans with a little more liquid). Would also make some cornbread to go with it next time.
Stephanie
The raw garlic in the vinaigrette was overpowering — choose a super tiny clove or halve a regular size. Warm up the beans. This was much drier than I expected — I guess I was expecting it a little brothier, given the instruction to serve in bowls, but it held its place on a plate. If you want it brothier maybe just stir in a little water with the miso vinaigrette.
Nina
The miso vinaigrette is delicious and really works with the beans and leeks. I came home starving and with a near empty fridge yesterday but managed to pull together most of this recipe in about 15 minutes. I didn’t have any thyme or parsley but it was still delicious without. This will be added to my quick meals repertoire
Nick Danger
Perhaps my leeks were cut too thin but 20mins even on a low setting was heading towards char. 15mins was enough, hit it with some Tabasco, mashed the beans onto buttered toast and topped with a white anchovy. Magical!
addy
This was fine, found it too garlicky with the garlic cooked with the leeks grated garlic in the dressing. Would probably omit one or the other next time. Bread is definitely necessary as there is no reprieve from mushy texture without it!
Private notes are only visible to you.
