Braised leek pieces with carrot, tomato and rice in an orange broth, sprinkled with green herbs, in a white square baking dish. — Photo: E4024 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Turkish · Lunch · Dinner

Turkish Olive Oil Braised Leeks

Name: Turkish Olive Oil Braised Leeks
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 4 medium Leeks, trimmed; 2 medium Carrots; 1 medium Onion; 2 1/2 tbsp White rice, rinsed; 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 1 1/2 cups Hot water; 2 tbsp Lemon juice; 2 tbsp Fresh dill, chopped

Zeytinyağlı pırasa

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Tender leek rounds and sweet carrot slices gently braised with a little rice in olive oil, finished with lemon. A light, comforting Turkish classic that is traditionally served at room temperature.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Serves: 4

Easy
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free

12%

Per serving241kcal12% of a 2,000 kcal day

4gProtein

42gCarbs

8gFat

5gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 67% · Fat 27% · Protein 6%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

4 medium800 gLeeks, trimmed
2 medium150 gCarrots
1 medium110 gOnion
2 1/2 tbsp30 gWhite rice, rinsed
2 tbsp27 gExtra virgin olive oil
1 tspSugar
1 tsp6 gSalt
1 1/2 cups360 gHot water
2 tbsp30 gLemon juice
2 tbsp5 gFresh dill, chopped (optional)

Steps

1
Slice the leeks into 2 cm rounds on a slight diagonal and wash them well in a bowl of water to remove grit, then drain.
2
Peel the carrots and slice them into thin rounds.
3
Finely chop the onion.
4
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes until soft.
5
Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
6
Add the leeks and stir for 2-3 minutes until they start to wilt.
7
Stir in the rinsed rice, sugar and salt.
8
Pour in the hot water, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 25-30 minutes until the leeks and rice are tender.
9
Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave covered to cool to room temperature.
10
Sprinkle with dill if using and serve.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use brown rice instead of white rice, adding a splash more water and about 10 extra minutes of simmering.
Add diced tomato or a spoon of tomato paste with the leeks for a tomato-based version like the one in the photo.
Replace the fresh dill with chopped flat-leaf parsley if dill is hard to find.
Leave out the sugar entirely, or use a pinch of grated carrot for natural sweetness.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, serving at room temperature or reheated until steaming hot. Freezing is not recommended, as the leeks and rice turn mushy when thawed.

Make ahead

This dish tastes even better made a day ahead: cook it, let it cool, then chill it covered and bring it to room temperature before serving. Add the dill just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

No major allergens in the ingredients.

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (379 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	241 kcal	64 kcal
Protein	4.2 g	1.1 g
Carbohydrates	42.1 g	11.1 g
of which sugars	11.9 g	3.1 g
Fiber	5.2 g	1.4 g
Fat	7.5 g	2 g
of which saturated	1.1 g	0.3 g
Sodium	653 mg	172 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.