Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth
Author: Traffic Light Cook
A no-sodium flavorful broth to bring smile to your soups and more! Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Servings 10 Cups
Calories 26 kcal
Heat the oil** on medium heat in a stockpot. Add onions and garlic; sweat*** for 1 minute.
Add mushrooms and sweat for another minute. Add celery, carrots, and any other vegetable (if using) except tomato. Sweat for 4-6 minutes. Add tomatoes (if using). Add the bay leaf, fennel seeds, and peppercorns.
Add the cold water and gently simmer (about 20 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for another 20-30 minutes.
Remove from heat and filter the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a broad mouth pan for quick cooling. Once the broth is completely cooled, funnel it into bottles. You can use this now in countless recipes!
*if using fresh fennel, don't use fennel seeds
**Fat-free variation: Skip sweating the veggies in oil. Add 10 cups of water to the diced vegetables and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 45 minutes. This version may have a bit of a raw, pungent taste, but it is not a huge deal as you would not be able to detect it in the end dish.
***Sweating is a cooking technique where vegetables are cooked over medium heat in a little oil without browning. When vegetables are soft around the edges and show beads of sweat, move on to the next step.
Serving: 57gCalories: 26kcalCarbohydrates: 5gFat: 0.4gSodium: 21mgSugar: 2g