Vegan. Vegetarian. Gluten-free. Dairy-free.
Jump to RecipeIn the picture shown with this post, I simply cooked black soy noodles in this vegetable stock. So flavorful is this brew, that no other seasonings were necessary!
Two major tenets of sustainable eating are: consuming less meat and generating less waste. Making your own vegetable stock is a great way to satisfy both of those goals! When spiced and flavored properly, vegetable stock is a wonderful ingredient that can be used for sipping on its own, for sautéing vegetables, or as a base for soups. With this dark, rich, vegetable stock, you will not miss the meat.
Secondly, this recipe serves the added bonus of providing a good use for all of the leafy celery tops and carrot ends and shavings that might otherwise get thrown away. Likewise, if you’re not buying stock from the store, that’s one less container that will get thrown into the trash. Less food waste, less actual waste, AND you get to enjoy a delicious stock as well? This seems too good to be true! Fortunately, it is not, and it’s simple to make as well!
Just add your veggies and spices to your slow cooker.
Cover with water.
Turn on the heat, and let it do its magic! The longer it stews, the better your house will smell and the more dark and flavorful your stock will be. I also always save the cooked vegetables for use as mix-ins for soups or pasta dishes.
The recipe here is what I use as my basic stock. If I know that I am going to be using it for a “seafood” dish, I’ll add a couple of sheets of nori to give it a seafood flavor. If I plan to use it for a spicy soup, I’ll add a pepper or two to give it some punch. The beauty of making your own stock is that you can modify it to suit the desired flavor profile of any particular dish. Likewise, you can leave out any spices or vegetable that don’t fit the flavorings you want to impart. The recipe is highly adaptable to fit the needs of any pantry!
EcoForward Tip: Keep a jar or bag in your freezer that serves as the receptacle for your carrot peelings, onion ends, and celery tops. Then, when it’s time to make your stock, just dump the whole lot into the pot and you’re good to go!
EcoForward Recipe: Vegetable Stock
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, chopped (can use peelings and ends rather than whole if you'd prefer)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped (include ends and leafy tops)
- ½ medium onion, chopped (can include ends and other parts that would be thrown away)
- 3 tsp salt
- 3 tsp dried parsley
- 3 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 3 quarts water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight.
- Strain vegetables from liquid. Pour stock into containers and store in the refrigerator. The chopped carrots, celery, and onions can be used for soups, as mix-ins for pasta dishes or can be thrown away.