How to: Make Your Own Veggie Stock
A few weeks ago, my husband requested a bowl of veggie broth (yes, he really did request this!) and we didn’t have any in our pantry. To my husband’s delight, I pulled out a large freezer bag of veggie scraps including kale stems and carrot skins to use to make our own veggie stock!
As two plant-based eaters, we eat so many veggies that often have parts that are normally discarded. I decided to save these pieces a few weeks ago so that when my husband begged (ha!) for some veggie broth, I’d be able to deliver.
We like to use veggie stock not only for making soup but in lieu of cooking with oil as much as possible—we aren’t perfect about this, but when we’re out of EVOO this is the perfect substitute. Sautéing veggies like onions and garlic in veggie stock adds SO much flavor!
Making your own veggie stock is an easy way to repurpose veggie scraps before tossing them. I’m all for trying to add a little more sustainability into our life. This is an easy way to do just that.
PLUS, this allows you to have an affordable, additive-free, veggie stock. Bonus if your veggies are organic too!
Organic, homemade vegetable stock? Yes please!
Here’s how I made ours, but feel free to get creative and put your own spin on this. (A lot of veggie stocks have celery in them, so you may want to add in a cup or so if you want this to taste like your traditional vegetable stock.)
Ingredients:
Save your favorite veggie scraps and toss them in a freezer bag. I like to save things like: kale stems, potato rinds, carrot skins, etc. I used 1 large freezer bag filled to the top with veggie scraps.
1 tsp. garlic powder or (2 chopped garlic cloves), 1 tsp. minced onion flakes, dash of sea salt (Feel free to add in whatever spices you enjoy such as rosemary, thyme and/or oregano; the more you add the more complex the flavor profile will be)
Filtered water
Method:
Add freezer bag of veggie scraps to a dutch oven or large pot.
Add seasonings of choice.
Add filtered water to pot, enough to cover all veggies.
Bring pot to a boil and let it boil for a few minutes with the lid off.
Turn down heat to a low simmer for an hour with the lid on.
Strain ingredients and store in mason jars with a tight lid.
Note: This should last in your fridge for a few weeks—making sure the lid is on tight! I love to use these lids for mason jars (as seen in picture above).
Enjoy!