A secret to truly great soup (and many other dishes) is homemade vegetable broth. Making your own from scratch is an easy project for the height of summer when the garden is bursting with vegetables, as well as in the winter months when soups are more regularly on the menu and heating up the kitchen isn't a concern.
Homemade broth is a perfect way to make flavorful and good-for-you veggie broth using food that would normally go in the compost or (gasp!) the trash. It’s like vegetable recycling!
DIY Vegan Soup Broth
By Allison Rivers Samson
Ingredients
1 whole onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
10 crimini mushrooms (5 if using shiitake)
2 ribs of celery cut into three large pieces
2 large carrots cut into three large pieces
Ends and peels of any veggies you normally cook, like:
clean onion ends and skins, potato peels, celery and carrot tops, kale, chard or collard stems, mushroom stems, etc. (see Pro-tips below)
Water to cover veggies
Directions
1. Fill a large pot within 4 inches of the top with veggies and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 2 hours.
3. Strain and use right away or transfer to freezer-safe containers like muffin tins and loaf pans to freeze.
Pro-tips
© Recipe by Allison Rivers Samson, Self-care Coach, award-winning vegan chef and author of Quick + Easy DIY Salad Bar, The Dairy-Freedom Cookbook, Comfortably Yum, and Co-Founder of The Dairy Detox.
Find out how to make room for yourself in your own life, turn workouts into personal playdates, and make healthy eating feel indulgent.