Bone Broth with Vegetable Scraps
Making bone broth with vegetable scraps is a delicious way to use scraps that might otherwise go to waste. In return, you get a nutritious broth that can be used in a variety of different ways.
Jump to RecipeWhenever I peel carrots, onions, or garlic, I save the peels in a bag in the freezer to make bone broth at a later time. This is a great way to use food scraps that otherwise would go to waste.
What Vegetable Scraps to Use/Not Use for Broth/Stock
The best vegetables to use in bone broth are aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions, scallions, and celery. Using scraps from some vegetables can make the broth bitter rather than adding good flavor. These include broccoli and green beans. You also shouldn’t use starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn.
To add additional flavor to your broth I recommend using herbs and spices, whether fresh or dried. I like to use ginger peels for broths to use in ramen or Asian inspired dishes. But most often I use roasting or Italian style herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano. I find this variety or herbs makes a versatile and flavorful broth.
For both my vegetable scraps and my herbs I like to use what I find on sale and what is left over from the other meals I make. You can cut up whole fresh carrots, celery, and onion. But I prefer to freeze my scraps over the course of a couple weeks to prevent it from going to waste.
How Long to Boil Bone Broth
The short answer is as long as possible. The longer the bone broth boils, the more nutrients are steeped out of the bones, so the longer the better. A good gauge to know how nutritious your bone broth is its consistency once it has completely cooled in the fridge. If your bone broth has turned gelatinous you know that it is high quality.
I find that in the pressure cooker, 3 hours on high is long enough for a high quality broth. If boiling your broth on the stove I find about 8 hours simmering on low makes a good broth. When making broth on the stove-top you may need to add water throughout the day as it evaporates.
What to Do With Bone Broth
The most obvious way to use bone broth is in soups, but I have often had bone broth on hand especially in the summer moths and not been in the mood for soup. In these cases I most often use the broth to flavor rice, like in my one pot rice dinner. You can also use bone broth to boil pasta, quinoa, lentils, other dried grains and legumes to add nutrients and flavor.
Another way to use bone broth is to add flavor to home made sauces and gravies, like in my spaghetti squash stroganoff and pot pie.
How to Store/Freeze Homemade Bone Broth
To store bone broth in the refrigerator I normally keep it in quart jars or another air and liquid tight container. It is good to store in the fridge for up to a week.
When I don’t want to use my homemade broth immediately, my preferred method to store it is by freezing it in old yogurt and sour cream containers. I find these containers work well because I can thaw the out side of the container then pop out the broth and finish heating on the stove-top or in the instant pot etc. You can also freeze it in mason jars, but it can be tricky to do without the glass cracking so I prefer to use plastic containers.
Ingredients for Bone Broth with Vegetable Scraps
- 2-4 cups bones
- 4 cups vegetable scraps (I use a full quart zip-lock that I keep in my freezer)
- 2-4 tablespoons fresh (or frozen) herbs and spices, or 2-4 teaspoons dried
- 8 cups water (plus more if making on the stove top)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
How to Make Bone Broth with Vegetable Scraps
Begin by preparing enough bones and vegetable scraps. You can do this over the course of a few week by collecting them slowly in the freezer, or you can cook a whole chicken or a bag of leg quarters like I did here. cook the bones and remove the meat to use for a different meal.
After removing the meat, add the bones with the veggie scraps and herbs to a large pot or pressure cooker. I also added the chicken skin because it can release a lot of flavor and fat that can also be used in cooking.
Season with salt and pepper, then pour in 8 cups of water.
If cooking on the stove top, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered on low for 8 or more hours, adding water as needed. If using a pressure cooker, set it to cook on high pressure for 3 hours.
Strain the broth through a strainer to remove the bones and vegetable scraps. Now the broth is ready to use in your favorite recipes, or can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a later date.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- begin by preparing enough bones and vegetable scraps. You can do this over the course of a few week by collecting them slowly in the freezer, or you can cook a whole chicken or a bag of leg quarters like I did here. cook the bones and remove the meat to use for a different meal.
- After removing the meat, add the bones with the veggie scraps and herbs to a large pot or pressure cooker. I also added the chicken skin because it can release a lot of flavor and fat that can also be used in cooking.
- Season with salt and pepper, then pour in 8 cups of water.
- If cooking on the stove top, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered on low for 8 or more hours, adding water as needed. If using a pressure cooker, set it to cook on high pressure for 3 hours.
- Strain the broth through a strainer to remove the bones and vegetable scraps. Now the broth is ready to use in your favorite recipes, or can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a later date.