Rich & Hearty Homemade Vegetable Stock

Homemade Vegetable Stock is cheap, easy to make; and essential for cooking soups, stews, and sauces. Make our roasted vegetable stock just once and you’ll never go back to canned.

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Homemade vegetable stock is cheap, easy to make; and essential for cooking soups, stews, and sauces. 

Fresh roasted vegetables are the heart of this homemade vegetable stock. The basic vegetarian version includes onion, celery and carrots – add or delete vegetables according to your own tastes and the produce you have on hand. 

When I was growing up, I didn't even know that you could buy soup broth or stock from a can, because Mama always made it at home. Then I grew up, moved out, and learned that for the price of a cheap hamburger, you can buy it ready-made. Cool! ...Right? 

As it turns out, canned stock isn't that cool after all. What it is is flat and flavorless. So I went back to making my own, and I've been doing so ever since.

P.S. The (optional) parsnip included in the ingredient list above is in homage to my Pop and his amazing Beef Vegetable Soup. 

Rich & Hearty Roasted Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is cheap, easy to make, and amazingly versatile - and essential for cooking vegetarian soups and stews and sauces. The basic version includes onion, celery and carrots – add or delete vegetables according to your own tastes and the produce you have on hand.

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Course: Basic, Soup

Keyword: soup

Prep Time:20 minutes

Cook Time:3 hours

Total Time:3 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 95kcal

Author: Renée | The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 1 large sweet onion peeled and sliced ¼ -½ thick
• ½ bunch celery chopped into chunks
• 8 medium carrots cut in big chunks
• 1 medium parsnip peeled and sliced thick
• ½ pound tomatoes quartered
• 5 cloves garlic smashed
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 gallon water
• ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 4-5 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• Dash or two of hot sauce I use Cholula

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the prepared vegetables and thyme in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

  Sprinkle with kosher salt and a little freshly ground pepper, and toss with olive oil.
• Place vegetables in the preheated oven.

  Stir the vegetable every 20 minutes.

  Cook until all of the vegetables have browned and the onions start to caramelize, this will take about an hour.
  
• Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large large stock pot.

  Add water, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, and a dash or two of hot sauce.

  Bring to a full boil, and then reduce heat to simmer.

  Cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by about half (I tend to boil it a little longer - I like my stock rich and robust.

  It takes about an hour and a half to reduce the stock.

  Stir every once and awhile, but otherwise, just let it do its thing.

  Taste and season with more kosher salt, pepper, etc, until it fits your personal tastes.

  I usually add a teaspoon or so of brown sugar and some garlic powder.
  
• Pour the reduced stock through a sieve.

  Stock can be used immediately, or stored in the refrigerator for later use, or frozen.
• Makes about 2 quarts.

Notes

Technically, since this is seasoned when prepared, it is a broth, but "broth" sounds like something you eat when you're sick, so I'm calling it stock.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 10474IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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A good stock is the beginning of a great soup! Be sure to try one of our many delicious homemade soup recipes. 

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