Protein-Rich Stir-Fry with Leek
Crack the egg on top of the sautéed leek. Scatter the cheese. Put the lid on. Walk away.
That is the entire technique behind this stir-fry, and it is the part worth remembering. The leek softens in olive oil for five minutes until the rings go translucent. Then the egg cooks gently from below while steam from the lid melts the cheese on top. No flipping. No folding. Just heat and a covered pan.
On the side, 114g of potato boiled and mashed with nonfat yogurt instead of butter. The starchy cooking water you saved makes it creamy without adding fat. 474 kcal and 29g of protein from six ingredients and twenty minutes of parallel cooking.
Crack the egg on top of the sautéed leek. Scatter the cheese. Put the lid on. Walk away.
That is the entire technique behind this stir-fry, and it is the part worth remembering. The leek softens in olive oil for five minutes until the rings go translucent. Then the egg cooks gently from below while steam from the lid melts the cheese on top. No flipping. No folding. Just heat and a covered pan.
On the side, 114g of potato boiled and mashed with nonfat yogurt instead of butter. The starchy cooking water you saved makes it creamy without adding fat. 474 kcal and 29g of protein from six ingredients and twenty minutes of parallel cooking.
Ingredients
- leek 1
- potato 0.25 pound
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- egg 1
- grated cheese 1.5 ounce
- yogurt, nonfat 2 fluid ounces
Method
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Cut the leek into rings.
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Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces. Boil them in water with some salt for 15 minutes.
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Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the leek for 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Crack the egg over the leek and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the egg is done.
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Drain the potatoes and save the cooking water. Mash the potatoes into a coarse puree. Mix in the yogurt and add a splash of the cooking water if the puree is too dry. Season with some salt and pepper.
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Serve the leek stir-fry with the mashed potatoes.
A pinch of nutmeg over the finished plate brings out the cheese and deepens the potato mash. Classic pairing that costs nothing and changes the whole dish.
Behind this recipe
Can I use a different type of cheese?
Any melting cheese works. Mozzarella will be milder and stretchier, cheddar sharper, Gouda keeps it Dutch. The 42g portion stays the same regardless of type. Fat and calorie content will shift slightly, but the technique (sprinkle, cover, melt) works identically.
Is 29g of protein enough for building muscle?
29g of protein from a single meal sits well within the range research has found effective for muscle protein synthesis. The commonly repeated ceiling of 20-30g per meal is lower than what recent dose-response and isotope-tracer studies have measured. The body can use substantially more than that old number suggested.
Read the full evidence reviewWhy yogurt instead of butter in the mash?
Nonfat yogurt gives the mash creaminess without the fat that butter or cream would add. This recipe already gets 27g of fat from the olive oil, egg, and cheese. The yogurt keeps the potato side leaner while the stir-fry carries the richness. Saving a splash of the starchy cooking water adds body without adding calories.
