Want to make Vegetable Stock? You need to try this easy vegetable stock recipe. Making homemade vegetable stock is easy, inexpensive and delicious
Vegetable Stock Recipe
Once you make your own vegetable stock, you won’t want to ever buy it again. It’s so quick and easy to make, and it is a great way to use up all those fresh herbs and vegetables you didn’t get around to using. Simply freeze whatever portion you don’t use right away, and then pull it out whenever you want to make a quick soup, stew or slow cooker meal.
Is It Easy Making Vegetable Stock
It is extremely easy making vegetable stock. The best way to make the vegetable stock is to keep your scraps as you are making dinner or cutting up vegetables. Store them in the freezer as a way to have them when you are ready to make vegetable stock. When you are ready to make this vegetable stock recipe, take your vegetables from the freezer and put them in the pot.
Vegetable Stock vs Broth
There is a difference between stock and broth, even though many people use them interchangeably. Normally, broth is made with meat and vegetables and stock is made with vegetables and bones. The collagen from the bones is what makes the difference. Since vegetable stock and broth don’t have meat of any kind, the distinction is a little different.
Broth uses trimmed vegetables that are often treated like they are for soup. In stock, the vegetables are not trimmed and include leaves, stems, stalks, and roots, as well as skins and peels. Stock is a great way to use up bits and pieces that are left over when you trim the vegetables for meals. Vegetable stock is more concentrated and should be diluted while broth is usually used as is.
How to Make Vegetable Broth with Vegetable Stock
If you want to make this into a vegetable broth, you want to reduce the stock down more and let the flavors condense. Since there is no fat to skim off the top like there is in chicken or beef broth, you are working towards a strong flavor with this vegetable broth.
How Long Does Vegetable Stock Last
When you make homemade vegetable stock, you are not adding the same preservatives as you get when you buy commercial stock. The stock will last about 5 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Can Homemade Vegetable Stock Be Frozen
Homemade vegetable stock isn’t just used for soups. You can also use it for cooking pasta, making sauces as a part of dinner or just to add flavor when cooking meat. I also like to use it in replacement for water when I use my Instant Pot. You can freeze this vegetable stock recipe as a whole batch or you can use an ice cube tray. Pour the vegetable stock into the tray and let it freeze. Then remove the cubes and store them in a freezer bag. This makes it easy to use small amounts of vegetable stock in recipes instead of thawing the whole batch.
Ingredients in Vegetable Stock
- Olive oil
- Onions – Learn How to Cut Onions without Crying
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Water
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh rosemary
- Bay Leaf
- Fresh parsley
- Whole peppercorns
How to Make Vegetable Stock
Add olive oil to a large stockpot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to heated olive oil and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the flavor is released.
Add enough water to cover the vegetables, followed by thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley, and peppercorns. Heat mixture over medium-high heat until it just about boils, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Give it a quick stir and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour. (The exact amount of time doesn’t matter – the longer it simmers, the better the flavor will be).
Place a stainless steel colander over a large pot in the sink. Carefully pour contents of stockpot into the colander to separate out the solids from the liquid. Discard solids and allow the liquid to cool completely before transferring to freezer safe-storage containers. Freeze until ready to use.
Needs Recipes that use Vegetable Stock?
Vegetable stock can be used in many recipes. It can be used in soups and stews. It is can also be used in place of chicken stock or in place of beef stock.
- Turkey and White Bean Soup
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup
- Garden Minestrone Soup
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Homemade Vegetable Stock
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 large onions peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 3 large carrots cut into chunks
- 3 stalks celery cut into chunks
- water to cover
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 springs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 handful whole fresh parsley
- small handful whole peppercorns
Directions
- Add olive oil to a large stockpot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to heated olive oil and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the flavor is released.
- Add enough water to cover the vegetables, followed by thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns. Heat mixture over medium-high heat until it just about boils, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Give it a quick stir and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour. (The exact amount of time doesn’t matter – the longer it simmers, the better the flavor will be).
- Place a stainless steel colander over a large pot in the sink. Carefully pour contents of stockpot into the colander to separate out the solids from the liquid. Discard solids and allow liquid to cool completely before transferring to freezer safe-storage containers. Freeze until ready to use.
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