By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Published March 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- 5(802)
- 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.
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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, 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)
1687 calories; 178 grams fat; 103 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 57 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 11 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.
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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
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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
802
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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
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.
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.
suggestions
Are the beans not warmed up?
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!
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?
M
Something very out of whack in the nutritional information for this recipe .. 1600 calories a serving?
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.
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
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?
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.
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.
Robinotl
I made this for dinner last night and was pleasantly surprised. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I halved it since it was just for me. I ate the whole thing. I was VERY HUNGRY! I did not have it with toast or salad or anything. I just ate 2 portions. It was that good. Simple and delicious. And easy! I would definitely make this again.I ate my beans at room temperature. I am fine with that... the jammy egg on top brings it all together and is a nice touch.
LFC
Showstoppingly delicious, easy, and incredibly complex. Do yourself a favor and cook this.
ZUMA
Why use canned beans when you can use any Rancho Gordo white bean. They don't need soaking. 20 minutes in the instant pot
Jill W.
I bought a miso concentrate versus a paste which was a bit strong so added a touch (maybe 1t.?) of maple syrup. Wow. The vinaigrette was really good. I’ll make this again.
jane
Made this, as written, on Tuesday and it was delicious. Today is Friday and the leftovers were Even Better. As it was leftover night, we did not add the eggs, but the leeks and beans were just wonderful on their own. Great recipe. Thank you.
E Liberman
Add the beans to the leeks for the last 5 minutes, so they’re nice and warm. Also, the sauce was very salty, so I added a bit of maple syrup… for the win!! So good!
Dorota
OMG how good this was!! I did hear up the beans with the leeks, like the other reviewers suggested. I skipped the parsley because I didn’t have any, and tbh I wasn’t missing anything. This flavor was perfection! I made a double batch and immediately regretted not having done even more. Hetty Lui McKinnon, you never fail!
Rahul
I didn't really care for this. I felt like the dressing was missing something and it came together kind of like a dip? Maybe I did something wrong. I think the "Lemony Skillet Chicken" miso sauce is far superior and would work just as good here.
Sarah N.
Jeez this is great. Agree with others that it's better warmed through, not with cold beans. I made it exactly as written and all the proportions were perfect.
jules
Phenomenal. I added some ground chicken for added protein and mushrooms for texture. The flavors of miso Dijon combined are brilliant.
CSRcooks
Absolutely delicious and simple to make. Made it as written and served over polenta. Cooked the eggs to soft boiled so they became part of the sauce. This will enter the regular rotation.
C
We have a lot of bags of RG beans lying around our pantry, so I’m always excited to see a new recipe that’s a variation on a bowl of beans for dinner. Unfortunately our grocery store didn’t have miso or leeks, so we had to adapt this pretty heavily by using onions and ssamjang instead of miso. It still came out tasty! The jammy egg yolks really brought it over the top.
Monica
This was really good on its own but I plan to try the leftovers with lettuce for a salad. It was easy to make and exceeded my expectations! I also put the beans into the pan with leeks after they had been cooking for a while.
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.
Joan
What a delicious dish — made more so since we had all of the ingredients on hand. One sub: Topped the beans & leeks with grilled shrimp in garlicky olive oil instead of eggs. We also plan to use that miso-mustard dressing for other dishes.
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