Christie C. In my post about how to make Chicken Stock, I expressed how appalled I was by the amount of food waste acceptable in today’s food industry. I hope that changes given the current supply chain issues and crop concerns due to climate change.
In any event, I think it is good to repurpose food scraps that are otherwise unpalatable by turning them into usable and delicious ingredients. Making vegetable broth from scratch is one such method, and it is easy to do and inexpensive to make. The ugly parts of vegetables can be boiled down in water to extract flavors and nutrients for soups, stews, and sauces.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- 2 to 3 ingredients
- Rescues food scraps
- Can be made in bulk and frozen
- Tastes better than store bought
- Vegan and vegetarian friendly
What kind of vegetable scraps can be used?
Almost any vegetable can be used. I tend to use the scraps of onions, garlic, carrots, celery, corn husks, and/or corn cobs. You can also use broccoli, tomatoes, leeks, and/or shallots. For added flavor, you can add herbs or spices such as thyme, rosemary, or ginger.
Cook the stock
The broth takes at least 8 hours to cook. I highly recommend using a slow cooker mainly because it’s safer and designed to be left on for multiple hours. It is not recommended that you leave an oven or stove on for that long. Hamilton Beach is an affordable brand that sells slow cookers.
This recipe makes 64 ounces of broth, but feel free to half or double the recipe according to your needs or the amount of broth that can fit in your pot. Don’t worry if you don’t have exact measurements. This vegetable stock recipe is extremely forgiving even if you only have a pound of vegetable scraps or a small bunch of thyme.
What to use this vegetable broth for
Use this broth to not only get the most out of your vegetables, but to also use it to make and flavor dishes such as soups, stews, sauces, rice, and beans. Be creative with your broth!
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS
TOOLS
Slow-cooker, stock pot, or Dutch oven
Spatula or spoon
Sieve
Vegetable Broth
Ingredients
- 8 cups (64oz) water
- 2-3 lbs vegetable scraps, or vegetables that are about to go bad
- optional: thyme
Instructions
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Place all of the ingredients into a 4 quart slow cooker (or whichever size for the amount you are making). If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can use a large stock pot or Dutch oven with a lid and cook your broth over low heat.
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Cook the broth on the lowest setting for 8 hours. The liquid should not evaporate much if at all. The longer you allow it to cook, the deeper the flavors.
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Allow the broth to cool before straining out the remains with a sieve and storing it into heat resistant containers. Use as desired in soups, stews, and sauces.
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