Macaroni with Creamy Leek Sauce.

Here's another freestyle meal. It was originally gonna be mac and cheese but I remembered I had leeks kicking around in the fridge so I changed it to this. Instead of a rich cheese sauce I kept it simple with an easy bechamel/alfredo type sauce. It really hit the spot I tell ya'. And it took only about 30 minutes total to prepare. Not the healthiest(in the end I think I used about 3 tablespoons of butter...yikes!) but in my defense(...) I used "smart" pasta, low-fat milk and UNsalted butter. I had a bit of a sugar overload yesterday so this salty and very peppery meal kinda balanced eveything.



First, get some water boiling for the pasta. Finely cut 1 medium leek, it will be about 2 cups. Seems like a lot but they will shrink when cooked! But if you want less by all means...I just really love leeks! Slice 1-2 cloves of garlic.(Oh and btw this was just me eating so for 2 people double the quantities). Sautee in 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, on medium heat, with salt, pepper and 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, until tender. Cover to help keep the moisture in.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour, stir and add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of milk. Simmer very gently while stirring often, until the sauce starts to thicken. You might need to add a bit more flour, a bit more butter, and/or a bit more milk, just eyeball it...When it hits the consistency you want throw in some parmesan, about 1/4 cup, add the cooked pasta, stir it all to get the noodles all coated, check for seasonning, add more parm on top, freshly cracked black pepper, and it's done!



That's some good comfort food.

*I could've done the breadcrumb topping thing in the oven but I thought of it too late...next time!