If you are looking for how to make easy vegetable broth with few ingredients that still tastes super aromatic, just ask the Italians. This basic vegetable broth recipe is a household staple and you can add it pretty much everywhere.
Your base is onions (leeks or shallots,too), carrots and celery. As for the other ingredients you are left with 2 different options and I use them both.
You can have a freezer bag with all the scraps and peels from your useful vegetables (not spoiled or moldy!), or/and you can make the broth with fresh produce and eat it later. Great soups, stews, cous-cous and so on.
It is best to avoid cruciferous veggies like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. For the rest, they should be all fine. Match to the dish you intend to make (like adding ginger if you are cooking an oriental dish) or just go for the zero waste scraps option.
The Ingredients
- Celery: please don’t skip this one. Even if you are not a big fan of eating it just trust me, it is magical for the aroma of the stock.
- Carrot: I have never used other types, but think it would work just as well.
- Onion: any type would tastes good, and as mentioned before it can be replaced (or combined) with leeks or shallots. When using for a potato based soup I tend to prefer my vegetable stock with a lot of leeks.
- Bay leaf: another one I strongly recommend, specially if you are cooking something with lentils or beans after.
- Parsley: I find that it goes with pretty much anything, so it is an easy choice.
- Thyme: I have sometimes substituted or added some oregano, great result.
- Salt rock: totally ok to use another variety, there are healthier choices, I know. I am just staying true to the Italian ways here.
How to Make Vegetable Broth
Wash and trim the carrots and wash the celery. Peel the onion and wash the parsley. Cut the vegetables into small pieces and put them in a pot with the water, add the bay leaves and rock salt.
Bring slowly to a boil, then lower the heat, add the other spices and let simmer for 45 minutes. Filter the broth with a fine mesh sieve.
Broth or Stock?
Maybe you have always been unsure, like myself. So I’ll copy the easy explanation given by Healthline.com.
“Though their ingredients are largely the same, there is a difference between them.Stock is made from bones, while broth is made mostly from meat or vegetables.Using bones in stock creates a thicker liquid, while broth tends to be thinner and more flavorful.Though broth and stock do have small differences, many people use them for the same purposes.”
Ready to make some healthy broth?
If I may suggest, you can put it to great use with my recipe to Italian Vegan Soup (Buzzega). Chickpeas and lentils, originally vegan soup recipe just like the vegetable broth.
Sincerely hope this super simple recipe will upgrade your dishes and make you prouder of your cooking.
With gratitude,
Carol🌶
How to Make Easy Vegetable Broth – Vegan – Italian
Course: SoupsCuisine: BasicsDifficulty: Easy750
ml2
minutes45
minutesIngredients
Celery, 2 stalks without the leaves
Carrot, 2 medium to large
Onion, any variety
Bay leaf, 1-2
Parsley, 1-2 big stems with the leaves
Thyme, dried or fresh, few stems with leaves
Salt, rock, if available
Directions
- Wash the carrots, the celery and the parsley.
- Trim the carrots and peel the onion.
- Cut all the vegetables into small pieces.
- Put them in a pot with the water, add the bay leaves and rock salt.
- Bring slowly to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes.
- Filter the broth with a fine mesh sieve.
Notes
- Please check The Ingredients section for substitutions.
- The vegetable broth can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.
