Hearty, Vegan One Pot Winter Dinner – Leeks, Potatoes, Celery & Carrots

Happy New Year, my friends! After all the good food we were blessed with over the holidays {apart from Christmas & New Year we also celebrated birthdays and name days}, I thought it would be wise to start the year with a healthy recipe on the blog.

This dish consists of leeks, potatoes, celery & carrots, all humble vegetables but truly delicious when cooked together. I serve them as a main dish with a little cheese on the side (usually feta cheese) and fresh bread, so it’s a great alternative for when I want us to cut down on meat. It’s also the perfect way to add leeks to our diet  (very nutritious but not necessarily on top of my shopping list) and celery (not a favorite of mine, but it turns out to be really good in this recipe).

I like the convenience of using just one pot to cook this dish as well as the little prep and cooking time that it requires, so it’s a great option for a weeknight dinner. Over the course of a winter, I usually cook it 2 or 3 times and we, the grown-ups, really enjoy it! As for the kids,  I will not lie ~ they are everything but enthusiastic when they hear that it’s going to be on the dinner table, but as long as they’re having a meatless meal, I can deal with their grumbling and whining. But at the end, they  savor every last bit and admit that it was “pretty darn good”!

A couple of notes for you, if you consider cooking this dish:

{1} Make sure to wash the leeks thoroughly (I use this method) as they can hide dirt.

{2} You can use a large cooking pot, but a large Dutch oven works even better, as the vegetables will cook in less liquid when spread over a larger surface.

{3) To reduce the sharpness of the leeks and the celery, I pre-cook them for 3 minutes in boiling water using the same pot (or Dutch oven) that I will use for the cooking.  If you want your vegetables to retain most of their nutrients, skip this step and simply cook first the leeks and the celery for 3 minutes before adding the potatoes and carrots.

{4} Throughout the cooking process, make sure that the vegetables are sufficiently seasoned. Potatoes require a good amount of salt to be tasty.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 3-4 leeks, washed, and cut into about 2-inch (5 cm) pieces (white and light green parts only)
• 2-3 celery ribs, strings removed, washed and cut into about 1-inch  pieces (2.5 cm)
• 5-6 medium size potatoes, peeled and cut into thick wedges
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into long pieces
• About 1/4 cup olive oil
• About 1 cup water (plus more for step 1)
• 2 small tomatoes, crushed (or 1 teaspoon tomato paste)
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice for serving

Preparation:

1. In a large cooking pot – or a Dutch oven preferably-, bring about two cups of water to boil.
2. Add the leeks and the celery and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Remove the leeks and the celery with a slotted spoon and discard the water.
4. Return the pot (or Dutch oven) to the stove and heat a little olive oil. Add the potatoes and the carrots and cook them for about 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add the leeks and the celery and stir.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes, the water and the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. If using tomato paste, cook it for a few seconds before adding the water and the oil.
7. Simmer covered on low-medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft and cooked. Ensure throughout the cooking process that there is enough liquid for the vegetables to cook, but not too much as you want to end up with a little sauce/liquid in your pot.  Try not to stir during the cooking process or the potatoes and carrots will break, instead move the pot around with your hands.
8. Turn off the heat and drizzle a little more olive oil on top. Let cool sightly and add a little lemon juice before serving.
9. Enjoy!