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Boiled vegetables are easy to prepare and make an excellent side to a meal. But did you know that the water they’re cooked in contains vitamins, minerals and plenty of flavour?
If you keep this vegetable cooking water, you’ll have a tasty, inexpensive vegetable broth. Seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper and herbs, you can use this broth as a base for delicious homemade soup.
Make broth with your vegetable scraps!
Another way you can make broth is by using your vegetable scraps. Carefully wash your vegetables before cutting. Boil the ends and peels, for example:
- Carrot, turnip and potato peels
- Unused layers of onion
You can collect vegetable scraps in an airtight bag you keep in the freezer. Once you have enough, use them to make broth:
- Simmer in water for about 30 minutes and then remove from heat for maximum flavour and vitamins.
- Filter the broth through a strainer.
- Remove any inedible pieces of vegetables and seasonings.
Keep the broth
Vegetable broth can be kept about a week in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. A little trick is to pour the broth into one-cup or one-litre containers, quantities that are often called for in recipes. This way, you can thaw what your need!
Recipe ideas for homemade vegetable broth
You can replace the chicken broth in these recipes by your vegetable broth.
- Canadian Beef Stew
- Moroccan Chickpea Stew
- Beef and Barley Stew
- Jambalaya-Style Barley Casserole
- Pork Chops in a Cranberry-Pear Sauce
And you can use it to make soups, of course!
