Vegetable scraps (peels, skins, tops, cores, etc.) of carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, leeks, cabbage, bell peppers, and tomatoes make a great homemade Vegetable Stock. Store your vegetable scraps in the freezer until you collect enough for a batch of stock.
This recipe was developed by Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook. Have a comment, question, or idea? Email Kate at healthycook@cspinet.org.
Time: 1 hour
Makes: 4 cups (1 quart)
Ingredients
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
6-8 cups vegetable scraps
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. peppercorns
2 quarts water
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the tomato paste in the oil until it starts to darken, 2-3 minutes.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. You can skip the cheesecloth if you haven’t included any scraps of vegetables like leeks, which could have sand or grit in them.
- Return the stock to the pot and continue to simmer to reduce the liquid to 4 cups (1 quart). Let cool, then store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tip: Remember to label and date everything you put in the freezer.
