Make Ahead

The Best Vegetable Broth Ever

November  3, 2013
4.3
3 Ratings
  • Makes about 2 quarts
Author Notes

Vegetable broth doesn't always need a recipe--just toss your veggie trimmings and scraps in a bag in the freezer, and when the bag is full, make broth. But if you want something really special, try this version--it's hands-down the most flavorful and versatile vegetable broth I've ever tasted. It's a great alternative to chicken broth, with just as much flavor. I've even used it as the base for matzo ball soup, with rave reviews from vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

I adapted this from the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, which calls for red onion, red beets, and red cabbage, yielding a dark red broth. I use yellow onion, golden beets, and ordinary green cabbage instead, which works perfectly to achieve the familiar yellow-golden color we all know and love. —ieatthepeach

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 large carrot
  • 5 celery stalks (with leaves)
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut in half but not peeled
  • 1 medium parsnip
  • 1 small fennel bulb, cut in half, with fronds
  • 1/2 pound fresh shelled English peas OR 1 (12 oz) bag frozen peas
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 1 small golden beet, stemmed and halved
  • 1/4 head cabbage, roughly chopped
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 12 whole black peppercorns
  • Pinch of crushed red chile flakes
  • 3 quarts water
Directions
  1. Rinse any lingering dirt from the vegetables. Combine all ingredients in your largest stockpot–if you need to, cut the veggies into chunks to fit in the pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep at a bare simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the broth is richly flavored. Strain out the solids.
  2. Use the broth immediately, or freeze for 4-6 months.

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