How to Make Vegetable Stock at Home
How to Make Vegetable Stock at Home
Hunker in at home with this simple but flavorful roasted vegetable broth. One of my favorites, it’s comfort food at its homiest, so you can enjoy a warm bowl of soup and bid the last remnants of winter weather farewell from inside the house. We love the simplicity of this recipe: all you really need are some leftover vegetables — the ones we listed are merely a suggestion, so feel free to take the liberty of throwing in whatever you have in your fridge at home. The real secret to this broth? Roasting the vegetables beforehand — it adds a depth and complexity that most veggie stocks tend to lack in comparison to meat and bone broths.
We know feeling productive has never felt harder, so this recipe works double duty — almost entirely effortlessly. Not only does the broth provide a great base for a vegetarian noodle soup, as a side with bread, or just to enjoy on its own; but it also simultaneously makes use of any leftover veggies you have — potentially saving you a trip or two to the grocery store.
We especially love this recipe because it goes hand in hand with Mosaic’s ongoing commitment to reducing waste: 40 percent of the food Americans buy gets thrown out — an alarming proportion when you consider that over 40 million Americans struggle with hunger. It’s just one more reason to feel great about cooking up this roasted veggie broth — so you can eat deliciously and use veggies that would have gone bad otherwise.
Here's how to get started:
Christine's home-made veggie stock
Makes 2.5 quarts
Ingredients
- 3 large onions, quartered
- 5 medium carrots, scrubbed clean and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 5 large celery stalks or cleaned trimmings, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 head of garlic, lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ bunch parsley, or leftover sprigs
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Toss all of the vegetables, except for the parsley, with extra virgin olive oil to coat evenly and completely. Season with salt and arrange on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Make sure to not over-crowd the pan so the vegetables all roast evenly.
Roast, stirring twice, until the vegetables are tender and browned for about 35 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to a large stockpot.
Fill the pot with 3 quarts of cool water and add the parsley, peppercorns and bay leaves.
Bring the water to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours.
Salt the broth, adding a little bit at a time and tasting frequently until it's perfect. Stir well.
Strain the broth, then cool and store in an air-tight, non-reactive container.
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