This gluten-free and dairy-free leek and kale gratin was inspired by Allison Roman’s Leek and Greens gratin. I fell in love with the idea of the dish right away, but the original recipe just didn’t work for my gluten and dairy-free household.
As I worked on my version of the dish, I couldn’t suppress an urge to make it slightly healthier and more nutritious. So I swapped bread crumbs for walnuts and pecorino and opted for coconut milk (in case you are wondering — you can’t taste any “coconutness” in the dish whatsoever!).
The combination of flavors worked SO well together that I made it four times a month and am craving more!
I used pecorino since we avoid dairy for health reasons, but any hard vegan cheese will make the gratin 100% dairy-free!
I understand that people avoid dairy for various reasons, so here are my health-related reasons to avoid cow’s but not aged sheep and goat cheese:
- Sheep and goat milk contain little to no A1 beta-casein — the protein that’s often associated with dairy intolerances. Protein contained in cow’s milk is primarily A1 beta-casein.
- Lactose — another popular intolerance culprit, is broken down by bacteria during fermentation and aging. Thanks to this process, hard-aged cheeses (pecorino, manchego, parmesan, etc.) only have a trace amount of lactose. So here is my version of this scrumptious and decadent dish — gluten and dairy-free leek and kale gratin.
Make it ahead:
You can assemble my gluten-free and dairy-free leek and kale gratin 1-2 days in advance and bake it whenever needed. The baking time is just 15 minutes so you can pop it into the 425° F oven right before dinner.
If making ahead — let cool down before topping with walnuts and cheese, wrap into plastic (or beeswax wrap to minimize waste!), and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.
Ingredients for leek and kale gratin:
- 2 medium leeks, rough green parts removed
- 1 bunch (1 lb) tuscan kale
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 1/3 cup (30 grams/1 oz) manchego/pecorino or hard vegan cheese, grated on a small hole side of a grater
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper (1/2 tsp or so)
How to cook:
- Remove the tough green leaves (the light-green part is ok) and cut the leeks down the middle. Slice into ~1cm strips and rinse super well to remove any dirt stuck in-between. Remove thick stems from the kale and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Add oil and leeks to a large pan, salting generously right away. Saute on medium until the leeks are very soft, for about 10 minutes. Stir often, so they don’t burn, and add more oil if they feel too dry. It’s ok if they get a little golden, but I prefer to keep them pale for this specific dish.
- Once the leeks are soft, add kale and saute for 3-4 minutes, until wilted and bright green. Add coconut milk, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the milk has thickened to a cream-like consistency, scraping the bottom of the pan from time to time not to burn.
- Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese and let it melt. Add salt and pepper, give it a taste and adjust seasonings if needed.*
- Transfer the mixture into a 2-quart size baking dish.
- Sprinkle your gratin with a mixture of chopped walnuts and remaining cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it bubbles around the edges and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!
More delicious vegetarian recipes:
- Crispy roasted mushrooms with “clay pot” style rice
- Vegetarian mushroom paté
- Georgian eggplant rolls with walnut filling
- Andalusian gazpacho
- Crispy chickpeas, feta and shallot vinaigrette salad
Knowing that you use my recipes makes me so happy! If you make my gluten-free and dairy-free leek and kale gratin, please leave me a starred review here or tag me on Instagram @olesia.guts so I can see your creations!
Ingredients
- 2 medium leeks, rough green parts removed
- 1 bunch (1 lb) tuscan kale
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 1/3 cup (30 grams/1 oz) manchego/pecorino or hard vegan cheese, grated on a small hole side of a grater
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper (1/2 tsp or so)
Instructions
- Remove the tough green leaves (the light-green part is ok) and cut the leeks down the middle. Slice into ~1cm strips and rinse super well to remove any dirt stuck in-between. Remove thick stems from the kale and chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Add oil and leeks to a large pan, salting generously right away. Saute on medium until the leeks are very soft, for about 10 minutes. Stir often, so they don’t burn, and add more oil if they feel too dry. It’s ok if they get a little golden, but I prefer to keep them pale for this specific dish.
- Once the leeks are soft, add kale and saute for 3-4 minutes, until wilted and bright green. Add coconut milk, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the milk has thickened to a cream-like consistency, scraping the bottom of the pan from time to time not to burn.
- Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese and let it melt. Add salt and pepper, give it a taste and adjust seasonings if needed.*
- Transfer the mixture into a 2-quart size baking dish.
- Sprinkle your gratin with a mixture of chopped walnuts and remaining cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it bubbles around the edges and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!
Notes
*If making ahead, let cool down, wrap into plastic (or beeswax wrap to minimize waste!), and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.
