Miso Leeks With White Beans Recipe (2024)

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published March 6, 2024

Miso Leeks With White Beans Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(976)
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)

    For the Leeks

    • 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

    For the Miso Vinaigrette

    • 4teaspoons white miso paste
    • 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1garlic clove, grated
    • 2teaspoons red-wine vinegar
    • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

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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Miso Leeks With White Beans Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. 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.)

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Step

    4

    Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together the miso paste, Dijon mustard, garlic, vinegar and olive oil.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

976

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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.

M

Something very out of whack in the nutritional information for this recipe .. 1600 calories a serving?

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?

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!

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.

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.

Leah

Was thinking that the miso vinaigrette plus the tarragon would make a killer potato salad. Has anyone tried that?

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.

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.

theonlykj

Made as written and came out with a distinctive coconut flavor. Did anyone else have this or can explain this?

Niko V

This was great: cheap, easy and tasty. Tip that changed the way I cook - put the herbs you are going to discard (here the thyme) in a muslin drawstring bag, you get all the flavor without any of the clean-up hassle of picking out the stems.

TR

Slight edits: did a 6 minute egg, the dressing needed a little extra olive oil, and threw beans in the pan for the last 5-8 minutes. Next time I'd add the dressing to the pan after turning the heat off so everything is warm. Served with pan seared salmon cooked per Eric Kim's gochujaru salmon recipe, drizzled with very nice olive oil, and finished with a squeeze of lemon. Serves 3-4 as a side dish, but without the extra protein this would be small for 4.

Dan

Absolutely delicious. Added dried tarragon to leeks at the start as I didn't have fresh and hate parsley. When leeks were done, added beans and heated a few minutes before adding vinaigrette. A friend unexpectedly joined us for dinner at the last minute. Before eating, I apologized for having such a humble meal. But there was no need. All three of us loved it.

puffin

The flavors are new ones, esp the miso. I loved the egg but would boil 8 minutes instead of 7. Also add the beans to the pain just till heated then mix with miso. Crusty bread was a great side and someone suggested spreading it on the bread like bruschetta. I thought the parsley really added something. Another idea was to blend it all together to use as a dip. Liked it.

olivia

I liked but didn’t love. Eric loved. Definitely should’ve heated the beans up - I did the second serving and it was much better. I also wish we had eaten this with better bread. I also wish it was a little Brothy.Eric combined with pasta the next day and that was very good.

Sophia Lyons

Incredibly delicious, way more than the sum of its parts.

LeeAnn

This is a great dish and the miso vinaigrette is now my favorite dressing for all things grain and bean.

p

Egg timings should always include an "adjust for altitude" note, particularly if you're shooting for soft-boiled. The timing here is probably about right for sea level, but you'll need to boil longer if you're higher.

♥️

Possibly my favorite recipe off this site. It was DELICIOUS. I used red miso paste, as that’s what I had on hand and it worked great. I also used parsley as I had no tarragon. I did follow other commenters recommendations of heating the beans with the leeks and then I served it on garlic bread with the eggs for a very filling and yummy vegetarian meal. So good. Impressive looking and tasting but relatively quick and easy. Washing leeks is annoying but worth it and the greens got nice & jammy.

Emma

Very delicious and easy! The one thing i would recommend - read the vinaigrette recipe carefully. I am normally good at following recipes but something about the way it’s written I messed up the ratios! Could be user error but just make sure you read it twice :) I ended up having to more vinaigrette to fix the ratio I had misread, and was happy with having extra - it’s so good!!

yush

So delicious it was hard not to eat it all! Only had 1 leek so I added in half a yellow onion, and only 1 can of beans so I reduced the miso by 1 tsp and cut out 1 tbsp of olive oil. Kept the vinegar and mustard the same and got a punchy dressing - just what I wanted. My leek/onion mixture did not need 20 minutes to cook down - they were getting pretty brown at the 15-minute mark on the lowest heat. I did use a cast iron which tends to stay very hot. I can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers!

alex

Finally a recipe that uses the whole leek! Made exactly as written but would be better warmed. Also would probably add a bit more vinegar and a bit of chicken broth to loosen it up

Flammertime

YES. This recipe is a keeper. I loved the suggestion by another reviewer to let the leeks stick a bit and then deglaze - I used mirin to do this, because why not? I also subbed in red miso instead of white, which made it a little funkier and did not upset me at all. I served it as suggested in the recipe, with the jammiest of eggs, and it was delightful.

swags

Absolutely delicious but I have never farted so much in my life. Made this last night and was raving about it to my fiancé who is out of town. 24 hours later I’m still in serious GI distress. Maybe if you serve it with a giant salad or something you won’t have this experience! I am honestly so shocked no one else has said this yet. Beans, and leeks are a recipe for gas and bloating, plus if you don’t eat fermented foods regularly enough then miso can also cause bloating. Y’all pray for me.

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Miso Leeks With White Beans Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make miso from other beans? ›

Miso is traditionally made with soybeans and a grain koji like rice koji or barley koji, but if you are looking a modern spin on miso you can use any cooked legume such as chickpeas.

What is miso made of? ›

Miso paste is a fermented soy bean paste that's used a lot in Japanese cooking. It's made by fermenting steamed soy beans with salt, grains (usually rice or barley) and koji, a type of fungus.

What are the 2 main ingredients in miso? ›

At its most basic, miso is a fermented paste that's made by inoculating a mixture of soybeans with a mold called koji (for you science folks, that's the common name for Aspergillus oryzae) that's been cultivated from rice, barley, or soybeans.

What are the three types of miso? ›

What Is Miso?
  • White Miso (Shiro) Shiro miso, also known as white miso, is a type of miso paste made from fermented soybeans and rice or barley. ...
  • Yellow Miso (Shinshu) ...
  • Red Miso (Aka) ...
  • Mixed Miso (Awase) ...
  • Hatcho Miso. ...
  • Mugi Miso (Barley) ...
  • Genmai Miso.

Is miso good or bad for you? ›

The Bottom Line. A little dose of miso goes a long way to please your taste buds. It also may contain health benefits like improving digestion, supporting healthy immunity and even reducing risk of certain cancers. Reap the benefits yourself by making one of our miso recipes today.

What does miso do to your body? ›

Being made from soya beans, miso offers an array of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, including isoflavones. The fermentation process used to produce miso may be especially helpful as it helps support digestion and may enhance immunity.

Is miso actually good for you? ›

Is miso soup actually good for you? Miso soup contains several beneficial vitamins, minerals, and components that may improve your gut and heart health and may lower your risk of cancer. If you are on a low-salt diet, read the label on packaged miso soup to choose one that's low in sodium.

Can you make miso without soybeans? ›

You can use any pulse, be it lentils, chickpeas, fava beans, black eye peas, anything, to make miso. You don't need soybeans. The only potentially difficult ingredient to get is Koji rice, but most asian grocery stores can order it in for you already cultured. You can also make it at home with a bit of dedication.

What is a substitute for chickpea miso? ›

Tamari/Coconut Aminos

Both are salty and contain plenty of the same free-forming amino acids (which create that umami flavor) found in miso. For an easy miso substitute, blend a few tablespoons of either tamari or coconut aminos with a can of cooked chickpeas. If desired, season with additional sea salt.

Can you substitute anything for miso paste? ›

Soy sauce is the most common substitute for miso paste. Miso is thick and creamy, whereas soy sauce is thin like water, but if texture isn't a factor, they are both made of soy and chock full of salty and savory notes.

Is all miso made from soybeans? ›

The raw ingredients for miso can be categorized into the three types for rice miso, barley miso, and soybean miso, and blended miso which combines these three types. Rice miso is made by adding rice koji to soybeans, and barley miso by adding barley koji to soybeans. Soybean miso is comprised only of soybeans.

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