Leeks are melted into butter, olive oil, and thyme (fresh or dried) to create a confit you can add to scrambled eggs, phyllo or puff pastry savory dishes, soups, potato gratin or other vegetable casseroles for a punch of flavor.
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Winter, for me, is a time to relax, reflect, and seek the quiet comfort of spending time alone, or with close friends and family. It's a time for my soul to breathe, after all the chaos of summer and fall.
I found a long time ago that I needed this replenishing time, for my soul to catch up with the rest of my body. After all, if plants and the earth need to rest and recover before reaching for the sun again with abandon, then so do we. We're part of nature too.
One of the benefits of living in the mountains close to nature is that we're no longer a part of the crazy commercialism of the holidays. So while Christmas is only a little more than a week away, I'm enjoying the quiet side of the holidays in my kitchen. And loving it.
🙌 Boosting Flavors in Vegetarian Dishes
I make a lot of casseroles or one-dish comfort meals this time of year, and use a number of homemade condiments in my kitchen to boost their flavor or add crunch.
This Leek Confit is one of a few at the top of my list for adding to potato gratins and soups, such as this Celery Root and Apple Soup with Gorgonzola. If my mashed potatoes taste a little bland, I add a bunch of leek confit to the bowl.
Gremolata breadcrumbs is another condiment I always have in the refrigerator, if I want a little crunch in salad, on top of a casserole or to finish a risotto.
Roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sun-dried tomato pesto and basil pesto round out my top 5 list of must have condiments to always have on hand.
OK, maybe there are 6 top condiments, because I use gribiche sauce a fair amount too.
🤷♀️ What is a confit?
The word confit in French means preserved, and refers to food cooked slowly, at a low temperature in fat, and kept that way. The fat in the dish preserves the food. On the meat side of the house, duck confit is a very popular way to cook duck. This Leek Confit is an example of using this method with a vegetable. It creates a tenderness that's like butter.
But fruit confit is also a thing. This is when fruit is cooked at a low temperature in a very concentrated sugar syrup.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's super easy to make.
- Once you make it, it will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator. The fat in the confit preserves the leeks.
- Add it to casseroles, mashed potatoes, grains dishes, and eggs to add a depth of flavor to the dish without any effort.
- Required only 2 ingredients plus butter and olive oil.
- Leeks are very healthy, as they are rich in flavenoids.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Leeks - only the white and light green parts.
- Unsalted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Thyme - either fresh or dried
- White wine
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Dutch oven or other large, heavy bottomed pot
- Tongs
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making Leek Confit are in the recipe card below, but here's a brief overview!
Step 1
Prep the leeks. The photos above show the steps in prepping the leeks to make this confit.
Step 2
Cook. Melt the butter and oil together in a heavy-bottomed pot, such as a Le Creuset, and pile in the prepped leeks. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Put a lid on the pot, and sauté the leeks on low.
Step 3
Deglaze. A brown fond will develop on the bottom of the pot from the leeks. Add a little wine to deglaze. Sauté another few minutes.
Step 4
Add fresh thyme. Remove the twig of thyme, and stir in fresh thyme leaves. Transfer the confit to a jar, and refrigerate until it's needed.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
Place the twig of thyme in a mesh bag so it's easy to remove at the end.
Leeks have a delicate flavor, so don't overdo the olive oil.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
You can add any herb to the leeks as they cook down, such as a bay leaf, some peppercorns, or even some fennel seed.
Use all butter instead of mixing it with olive oil.
📇 More Flavor-Boosting Ingredients You Can Make
Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes (Only 5 Minutes Prep!)
How To Make Pomegranate Molasses
Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.
Leek Confit with Thyme (Recipe)
Equipment
- medium pot or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 medium leeks
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more according to your taste
- few twists of freshly ground pepper
- 1 large twig of thyme containing several branches on it left intact (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Prep the leeks. Slice off the end of the root, and the dark green leaves of the leeks, and discard. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, and feather them open under cold running water. Leeks are grown in sandy - muddy soil and you want to make sure to get rid of all traces of the grit.Place the leek halves on your work board, and slice horizontally in very thin slices - as thin as you can manage.
- Combine. Warm up the butter and oil together in a medium pot over medium low heat, and pile the leeks in. Add the salt, pepper, water, and large twig of thyme (or dried thyme), and toss to thoroughly coat the leek slices.
- Tip: I put the large twig of thyme in a mesh bag to keep the leaves all together. They will naturally fall off while the confit simmers.
- Simmer. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. At the end of 45 minutes, the bottom leeks will have begun to brown, called fond, which brings in a wonderful savory sweetness to the confit. Add the wine and scrap up the fond, and stir the confit. Cook another couple of minutes.If you prefer to not have any browning, toss the leeks around every 10 minutes or so.
- Finish. Remove the twig of thyme, and stir in ½ teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves, or more - according to your own taste.
apuginthekitchen
Love this, I am partial to leeks because of their mild flavor. Leek confit will jazz up so many different dishes. Using mostly olive oil is very smart, after using about 8-10 lbs of butter over the holidays in my baking and cooking recipes like this are just what I am looking for.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Suzanne! Me too. I've just got to shift away from all that wonderful - tasting butter 🙂
TasteFood
This looks wonderful - I love leeks and believe they are underrated.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I completely agree. I almost always have some around to add to different dishes, but this confit is a much easier way to do that 🙂
Rita
Yea for leeks! I love the mild onion-garlic flavor and use them regularly rather than the shallots so many cooks lean toward. Your confit is going in my everyday recipe file, Susan.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh - that would be a perfect savory addition to your soup! But make them now if you can, so that they can sit on your counter absorbing the thyme for adding to your soup tonight. It really will make a difference.
Rodger Helwig
As a big fan of the allium family (my German heritage?), I have to try this recipe. I really enjoyed working with sweet onions for fifteen years, marketing Oso Sweet onions from Chile.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I love sweet onions! And I love recipes that pretty much make themselves, like this confit. Hope you like it!!
Rita
I assume the 1 Tbsp water is added with tyhe salt etc?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oops! Yes, it's added with the salt and thyme. I'll make that change right now.
Julia
This dish looks delicious--your photos are beautiful. I will have to save this for a future meal.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Julia! I hope you enjoy it!
kale
i love the idea of adding it to scrambled eggs - yum!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks, kale!
mjskit
Oh how I love this confit!! We both love leeks and I know that this would be a huge hit in this house. You're right - I can see many uses for this. Can't wait to make it. Love the story of your grandkids pressed against the window giving updates on the squirrels. I don't have grandkids but I have a cat that stays in the front window watching the birds in the tress out front. It's so cute!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much MJ! It was so sweet to listen to their excitement. Better than a video game any day. Hope you enjoy the confit if you make it!!
Jenn and Seth
this sounds wonderful, and i love love love the idea of adding it to omelettes and scrambled eggs - that would be such a delicious breakfast! can't wait to try!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Jenn and Seth! I think you'd really enjoy it, and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Norma Chang
Buried a few leeks in a bucket with potting mix in the shed to see how well they will over winter. If still in good condition will be making this recipe for sure. Love all member of the allium family.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
What a fabulous idea, Norma! I can't wait to hear how they do 🙂
mjskit
Good morning Susan! Just wanted to let you know that I made this yesterday and in addition to being absolutely delicious, it made the house smell wonderful! I drained the leeks and used them as the base of a pizza in place of tomato sauce. It was perfect! I now have a little container of leek infused oil that I'll be adding to other things. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh yay!!! MJ, it's always so exciting when someone tries something here. Thanks for letting me know how it went - I love the idea of using it on pizza!! And what a wonderful idea to drain off the oil to use for something else.
Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits
I use leek confit as a base in a number of recipes, but I never thought about making it up ahead of time and freezing it. It's a good idea for having it on hand.
Isabella
This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. As a college student I'm always looking for great recipes that are easy to make and where I don't have to stand over the stove watching every minute as it cooks. Thank you so much! I will be making this a lot.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad, Isabella! It's a rare week I don't have this on hand 🙂
lizthechef
Somehow, I missed this -what a keeper!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I keep it around ALL the time. It's just amazing all the ways I use it. And sooooo easy to make. It's like adding a whole chunk of buttery goodness without all the butter.
Beth
How long will it last in the refrigerator?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The oil is a preservative of sorts, and I've kept in the refrigerator as long as 6 weeks. It may last longer, but I always use it up by then.
Beth
Thanks! I can't wait to try this.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I hope you like it - it can be added to a lot of things to amp up the flavor!
Claire
My husband had a glut of leeks just before we moved, so I cooked up a batch of this confit.
It was so delicious. My favourite way to enjoy it was on a baked potato with some goats cheese. Yummy!!!
But it was also great in a toasted cheese sandwich 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so excited you liked it so much. It's perfect with potatoes IMO!
Megan Ellam
This looks so delicious. I love leeks and cant wait to try them confit. Thanks for sharing.
Kim
What an amazing idea! These leeks have become one of my favorite condiments to have on hand. Loving it on potatoes and even to top chicken!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad! Thanks for letting me know!
Marta
This is such a comforting dish. Leeks are so underrated and when you confit them they take on a whole new amazing flavor profile. I'll be making these more often as it was so delicious and easy to prepare.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
They're totally underrated. Leek fans unite!
Colleen
This was so easy to make and I love having it for it's versitality. I've used the confit in potato soup and in scrambled eggs and we love it!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Those are great ways to use it!
Tammy
Such a fabulous idea for leeks...this looks so comforting and delicious. What a perfect winter side dish...I cannot wait to try this 😀
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I hope you like it and find lots of ways to use them!
Cathleen
This is perfect! It was such a hit in our house, I am going to be making it over and over. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Dennis
I love leeks, they are so underrated and your recipe was perfection on a plate! Thanks so much for sharing such a delicious dish, my family raved about it!
Amanda Dixon
This confit came out so good! I folded it into a quiche for a brunch today, and it really elevated the whole dish.
Mindy S
So delicious! I love adding this to my mashed potatoes! Yum!
Hayley Dhanecha
I always look our for new and intresting leek recipes, as I always end up using in soup. Can't wait to make leek confit, thanks for sharing.