Homemade Vegetable BouiIIon

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2 min read
Summary

Making your own homemade veggie broth means you save on cost, eliminate packaging, and get all of the fiber that’s missing in store-bought broth. One of the reasons I personally love this bouiIIon so much is that you can freeze and use it as needed. Just one tablespoon of the bouillon plus one cup of water is equivalent to one cup of store-bought broth. It’s also versatile. Feel free to experiment by substituting any of the ingredients with vegetables you have on hand or, even better, fresh veggies from your garden! Have fun with this simple staple and make it your own.

Yields12 ServingsPrep Time15 minsTotal Time15 mins

Homemade vegetable bouillon

Ingredients

 1 cup celeriac root, peeled and roughly chopped (See Chef’s Notes)
 2 carrots, roughly chopped
 1 cup fennel bulb, white portion, roughly chopped
 1 cup leeks, white portion, roughly chopped
 2 organic celery stalks, roughly chopped
 2 shallots, roughly chopped
 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
 1 tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
 ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Directions

1

To make the bouillon paste, start with the chopped celeriac and carrots. Pulse them several times in a food processor until they start to break down.

2

Add the fennel, leeks, celery, shallots, and garlic; pulse again. (Note, you might have to do this in separate batches depending on the size of your food processor.)

3

Next, add the salt, if using, and pulse a few times. Then add the fresh herbs and pulse again. Once everything is well blended and mixed together, you should have a nice, moist, paste-like consistency.

4

You can place a portion of the paste into a mason jar or other glass container and refrigerate for use throughout the week. The size you need will depend on how much you plan to use.

5

Freeze the remaining paste in tablespoon-sized portions on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. (See Chef’s Notes)

6

To prepare the vegetable broth, mix one tablespoon with one cup of water.

Chef's Notes

Substitutions
You can create your own version of bouillon by using leftover vegetables in your refrigerator or any vegetables you can find in the store or local market. There are no hard rules on how much or which vegetables to use. Substitute celeriac with more celery, add onion in place of shallots, or use basil (or more parsley) in place of cilantro. This is a great opportunity to use what you have on hand to create your own bouillon blend!

How to peel celeriac root
With a sharp knife, carefully cut off a small portion of the bottom to form a flat surface. Place this surface on the cutting board. Carefully peel the root from the top down, with a sharp knife.

If you have a small food processor (less than 8 or 10 cup capacity)
You may need to make this in 2 batches.

How to use
This bouillon can be used in soups, sauces, stews, or risotto. Basically, it can be used anywhere you would use traditional vegetable broth!

Storage
The original recipe for this calls for quite a bit of salt, which helps preserve the vegetables and keeps them from getting freezer burn. The low sodium version (this version) or salt-free version (no added salt) works, but you’ll want to keep what you know you’ll use during the week in the refrigerator for 5–7 days. Freeze the rest in individual containers and bring to the refrigerator to thaw 24–48 hours before you’re ready to use the bouillon. Note that, because there is little to no salt, ice crystals may form. Alternatively, you could make this bouillon in smaller batches and use it as needed.

Ingredients

 1 cup celeriac root, peeled and roughly chopped (See Chef’s Notes)
 2 carrots, roughly chopped
 1 cup fennel bulb, white portion, roughly chopped
 1 cup leeks, white portion, roughly chopped
 2 organic celery stalks, roughly chopped
 2 shallots, roughly chopped
 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
 1 tsp salt (optional)
 ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
 ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

Directions

1

To make the bouillon paste, start with the chopped celeriac and carrots. Pulse them several times in a food processor until they start to break down.

2

Add the fennel, leeks, celery, shallots, and garlic; pulse again. (Note, you might have to do this in separate batches depending on the size of your food processor.)

3

Next, add the salt, if using, and pulse a few times. Then add the fresh herbs and pulse again. Once everything is well blended and mixed together, you should have a nice, moist, paste-like consistency.

4

You can place a portion of the paste into a mason jar or other glass container and refrigerate for use throughout the week. The size you need will depend on how much you plan to use.

5

Freeze the remaining paste in tablespoon-sized portions on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. (See Chef’s Notes)

6

To prepare the vegetable broth, mix one tablespoon with one cup of water.

Homemade Vegetable BouiIIon