How To Make Stock With Kitchen Scraps

Soups and stews are a great way to cook when you have time. You can make a big batch on Sunday, and then you have a nutritious meal that you can heat up whenever it’s convenient!

Soups and stews are one-pot meals that you can throw together easily. With a wide variety of them out there, you can vary your veggies, vary your protein routine, and make half of your grains whole grains.

Save your kitchen scraps

Instead of buying stock, try making your own with kitchen scraps. You can use carrot or onion peels, fresh veggies that have started to wilt, or even bones from a chicken or turkey–whatever you have on hand. Just throw your scraps into a freezer bag and freeze them until you’re ready to make stock.  This can be a huge cost savings because all you have to do is take what you would normally throw away or compost and boil it on the stove top for a rich and flavorful broth.

Let’s get cookin’!

When you’re ready, just dump those bags of kitchen scraps in your pot and fill it with water. Once you’ve filled the pot, place it on the stovetop and turn the heat up to high. Some good spices to add if you have them on hand are black pepper, salt, bay leaves, and thyme. Give it a good stir and, once it starts to boil, bring the heat back down to low and let it simmer for an hour or two. When you’re ready, run the vegetable stock through a colander to strain it and save the stock. 

Good for any occasion

You can stick whatever stock you don’t use into the freezer for later. 

The base of a delicious soup or stew is a good stock. You can also cook rice and other grains in your homemade stock to add flavor and boost the nutrients. Even just sipping on some broth is a nutritious snack and a great way to get fluids.

This homemade stock is just as good or better than what you can buy at the store and you can make it with what you would normally throw away or compost. Most store-bought stock is high in sodium. The great thing about this is you control how much salt goes in and you control the sodium that you’re getting in your meals.

This easy-to-make stock made with kitchen scraps is a great way to save time, save money, and eat healthy. That’s what we’re here to help you do at SNAP-ed, because the right mix can make you healthier now and in the future.