Homemade Vegetable Broth
This homemade vegetable broth recipe makes a delicious base for soups, and it is a great way to use up all those vegetable scraps.
Ingredients
- 7-8 cups water filtered
- 3 cups baby bella mushrooms - cleaned and chopped
- 4 stalks of celery - chopped
- 4 medium carrots - chopped
- 1 medium onion - chopped with skin on
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled
- 2 bay leaves - whole, optional
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
- salt and pepper (to taste, about teaspoon each)
Instructions
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Fill a dutch oven or large pot with the vegetables and water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat, letting it maintain a low simmer on the stovetop. Let it cook for 45 minutes.
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Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning as needed.
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Remove the broth from the heat once it is done cooking and let it cool for a few minutes.
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Position a strainer over a large bowl or pot and pour the broth mixture into the strainer to strain the liquid from the veggies.
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Divide the broth between storage containers, store in the refrigerator or freeze.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Note: I almost always make this with a bag of reserved veggie scraps in my freezer, measuring nothing. I save the ends of onions, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms. And it makes a wonderful homemade vegetable broth every time!
However, I did want to give some measurements so you would have some idea of how much veggies to how much water, etc.
That being said, this recipe is very forgiving and flexible! Use what you've got. The only tip I would have is to NOT use vegetable scraps from the brassicas - things like broccoli, cauliflower, etc. It won't hurt anything, but it causes the veggies to have a stinky, sulfuric smell. I would recommend sticking to carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomato and mushrooms.