Leek, prawn and chilli spaghetti
The leeks are the star of this lovely, fresh pasta dish- with the lemon, garlic and chilli flavours it’s irresistible
10 mins
15 mins
416 kcal
10 mins
15 mins
416 kcal
SERVES
4
DIFFICULTY
EASY
SERVES
4
Difficulty
EASY
For a fantastic winter British vegetable that tastes delicious and is great for your health (it’s a Slimming World speed food), look no further than the humble British leek.
Launching on 1st November, the British leek season runs through to April. While it’s often harder to source locally grown, fresh vegetables during the colder months – the leek is one British green that can provide the cornerstone to uncomplicated, hearty dining. Not only full of flavour, leeks are packed with vitamins and crucial anti-oxidants, essential to helping you stave of winters colds and flu.
If you would like to know more about cooking with leeks, as well as a how-to on preparing them, have a look at my Easy leek and potato soup which goes through the best way to prepare a leek.
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Leek, prawn and chilli spaghetti
Ingredients
- 300 g spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium leeks trimmed and sliced
- 200 g large raw peeled frozen prawns, defrosted and patted dry with kitchen towel
- 175 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 lemon zested and then juiced
- handful fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Put your pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the leeks and some seasoning. Sizzle for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and turning golden here and there. Remove to a plate.
- Heat the other tbsp oil, turn up the heat and wait a few seconds for the pan to get really hot. Add the prawns and tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the prawns turn pink all the way through. Add the chilli flakes, garlic and lemon zest, cook for 1 minute more, then add the leeks back to the pan. Turn the heat down.
- Save a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Tip the pasta into the leek mix, add 5 tbsp of the cooking water, the juice from half the lemon and the parsley and toss well. The pasta shouldn’t be dry – add more of the water if needed.
- Serve in pasta bowls with a little extra parsley sprinkled over the top.
