Use this tasty veggie broth as a hearty base for soups, stews, and curries!
It isn’t easy to find sodium-free veggie broth. Even the low-sodium varieties at the store contain more salt than would qualify for TruePaleo status.
Fortunately, it’s really easy to make this healthy vegetable broth at home. It’s packed with veggies and nutrients and has zero added salt, making it the ideal ingredient for your favorite recipes that call for veggie broth.
Keep in mind that this recipe is really versatile, and you can really use any vegetables you have on hand for this. The more variety, the better! Just be sure not to use any starchy vegetables, like squash or sweet potatoes, as that will make the broth cloudy and thick.
Tip: Save leftover vegetable scraps for a few weeks and stash them in the freezer. Think: carrot tops, onion skins, or greens that you know you won’t be able to use before they go bad. Then, just dump them straight into the pot to sauté before you add the water! You may want to adjust the veggies you add from there to create a nice well-rounded broth.
Start by warming a bit of olive oil in a stockpot, then add roughly chopped onions, carrots, celery, garlic, whatever veggie scraps you want to use, and a few peppercorns. Remember that you’ll be straining out all the vegetables, so a rough chop will do the job nicely. You don’t even need to peel anything!
Once your veggies are soft, pour in the filtered water and flavor with bay leaves, collard greens, and lots of fresh herbs. Depending on what you’re using it for, you might want to add in the optional tomato paste. It adds a great depth of flavor that will work perfectly for tomato-based dishes like taco soup or tomato fennel soup.
Bring the broth to a boil, then partially cover and simmer for about an hour. If you have the time, you can keep it going for another hour or so. The longer you simmer, the stronger the flavor will be.
When it’s done, let the broth cool a bit before straining out all the solids. Use right away, or pour into sealed Mason jars. You can store your veggie broth in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Need some ideas for your homemade veggie broth? Try any of these recipes:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, unpeeled and sliced
- 4 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
- 4 celery, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp whole peppercorns
- 10 cups filtered water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup collard greens, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh thyme
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup fresh sage
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
- Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and peppercorns. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the water to the pot and stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the lid partially. Let the broth simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool for at least 15 minutes. Strain the broth into another pot, then store in Mason jars or use right away.
For hundreds of pure Paleo recipes be sure to check out The Real Paleo Diet Cookbook and The Real Paleo Diet Fast and Easy.
Homemade Beef Bone Broth Recipe
By Jennafer Ashley
