By Ali Slagle
Updated Nov. 8, 2023
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(176)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Vegetable stock doesn’t need the whole vegetable drawer to be savory and flavorful; browned onions, garlic and mushrooms achieve that here, boosted by caramelized tomato paste. The other key ingredient is salt, which transforms the liquid from flat to well-rounded, so if your stock seems watery, the answer might not be simmering more but rather adding salt. This stock tastes neutral enough to be used in any recipe that calls for vegetable stock, though you can shift its personality with additional ingredients; see Tip for some ideas.
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Ingredients
Yield:About 2 quarts
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2yellow onions, unpeeled, quartered through the root
- 1head garlic, unpeeled, halved crosswise
- 4 to 6ounces white or brown button mushrooms, stems left on, torn into big pieces
- 1tablespoon tomato paste, preferably double-concentrated
- Optional additions (see Tip)
- Salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the onions and garlic cut sides down and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are juicy and browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until it starts to stick to the pot, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step
2
Add 10 cups (2½ quarts) water, any optional additions and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 25 minutes.
Step
3
Taste the stock: If it’s watery, add a pinch of salt and taste again. If it’s still flavorless, keep simmering. Repeat this every 5 or so minutes until the stock is flavorful, which could take anywhere from 25 to 40 total minutes. (If you find the stock bitter or salty, add water to dilute.)
Step
4
Let cool slightly, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tip
- Add up to 4 cups chopped vegetables, including but not limited to leeks, scallions, celery, celery root, tomatoes, fennel, parsnips, corn and carrots. Be sure to add their stems, leaves and roots too. (Avoid brassicas and squashes, which can turn the stock bitter and cloudy.) Additional umami boosters include soy sauce, kombu, dried mushrooms, Parmesan rinds, vegetable bouillon and nutritional yeast. You also can add more seasonings, such as fresh thyme, parsley or sage; dried or fresh bay leaves; coriander or fennel seeds; peppercorns; ginger; and fresh or dried chiles.
Ratings
4
out of 5
176
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Dawn
Save your veggie scraps in a gallon sized bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, empty in a pot that fits, add water to cover the contents, and simmer for about an hour. Strain, and freeze the broth in 4C and 2C containers. My average bag has carrot, celery, mushroom, shallot, onion trimmings, garlic cloves too small to bother peeling, a knob of ginger, various herbs. Sometimes fennel or cabbage trimmings, or a jalapeño. Anything on the verge of going bad. Easy peasy. Always delicious.
Rose
as with meat stocks, I like to do veg stock in the crockpot on low overnight, rather than on the stovetop for a an hour. It really improves the depth of flavor.
Rich R
You can also roast the vegetables, say 40 minutes at 400°, and then make the stock. Deepens the flavor.
JR
Word of caution- Parmesan is often made with animal rennet; check labels for vegetarian Parmesan if it matters to you. Parmigiano-Reggiano is never vegetarian.
Brittany G
If the tomato paste is not doubly concentrated, should we use 2 T instead?
FG
Uncooked corn cobs, sweet parsnip and a piece of sweet potato add richness to a broth.
Liz
Due to needing a low sodium diet, I save veggie scraps (carrot peelings, onion, cucumber ends, zucchini, etc.)in a freezer bag, as well as corn cobs, apple cores, an added bay leaf, and a few peppercorns. Also, if gilling large portobello mushrooms, save the removed gills with the scraps. The broth is darker but flavor is richer. It comes out flavorful and either no salt needed or just a slight amount. Freeze in quart bags and ice cube trays for when only a small amt is needed.
Sarah
Using a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours is preferred for the most flavorful stock. Go extra by doubling the normal time in the slow cooker, which will produce a reduced, incredibly rich stock that is truly magic.
K
I found I needed to cook this much longer than the recipe states. I cooked it for well over an hour to get a good flavor.
Fran
I would note that this takes A Lot longer than 20 min. I simmered for three hours until it tasted right to me. I also used some of the optional add ins and this was probably one of the best veg stock recipes I’ve tried. The addition of tomato paste (doesn’t make it taste tomatoey) and soy sauce are game changers.
Victoria
i made this and definitely got less than 2 quarts! no clue why
cornbear
Corn cobs too!
Cutter
This sounds awful fast. My understanding of a great vegetable stock is something that cooks for hours and hours and has to be skimmed constantly. The best vegetable soup I ever had was in Rome. It was so good I almost licked the bowl clean in the restaurant. I had to ask the chef why it was so good. He said it was all about the stock, which takes a long time to do right - about 8 - 12 hours. Can anyone remark if this sounds right?
Jonelle
Like Dawn, I save vegetable scraps and peels in the freezer for broth. Leek tops, herbs that are getting tired and trimmings from most everything work well. Be careful with celery, because too much will make the broth better. I thaw the vegetables in a little olive oil and cook them in my Instant Pot for 20 minutes on High and freeze in one or two cup portions.
Tessa
I echo Dawn's comment (water to cover leftover veg bits that you have added to a gallon bag in the freezer) except I use the IP. Usually for 20 minutes. I also label my bags "Not V" if I have used cheese rinds - period. I will be interested to try using some tomato paste, moving forward. Might even trial some adobo chile paste since that is an item I have the hardest time using up after I have opened a can (husband is a "spicy" zero; otherwise, usually a saint).
Rich R
You can also roast the vegetables, say 40 minutes at 400°, and then make the stock. Deepens the flavor.
FG
Uncooked corn cobs, sweet parsnip and a piece of sweet potato add richness to a broth.
Herta
I like using my pasta pot to make stock, saving myself from hot liquid splashes when straining the solids out. For this recipe, after step 1, I'd scoop all the solids into the strainer insert with a plate under it, add the water into the pot, heating and stirring to loosen anything that got stuck, then put the strainer insert into the pot for the rest of step 2. At step 4, lift the strainer out, separating the solids from the stock, and put it back on the plate.
JR
Word of caution- Parmesan is often made with animal rennet; check labels for vegetarian Parmesan if it matters to you. Parmigiano-Reggiano is never vegetarian.
Mary Young
I make vegetable stock all the time but I never use cheese rind or tomato paste because I have no idea if it will be used for a vegan recipe, an Asian inspired recipe (no tomato), etc. I roast veggies for extra depth of flavor and do on stove, slow cooker or IP.
Rose
as with meat stocks, I like to do veg stock in the crockpot on low overnight, rather than on the stovetop for a an hour. It really improves the depth of flavor.
Dawn
Good to know! I'll try the crock pot the next time my scrap bag is full. :)
Bruno
I use a pressure cooker.
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