We never bought ready-made stock cubes: my mother figured out how to make this tasty and versatile homemade light vegetable stock cube without salt and no cooking to freeze and always have on hand.
It’s an easy recipe with just three types of vegetables – carrots, onions, and celery – and extra virgin olive oil.
Once tried, for taste and practicality, you won’t be able to do without.
The light vegetable stock cube and the broth made with it provide digestible and light bases that allow you to cook and flavor while limiting the use of oil during cooking.
The addition of oil to the vegetable stock cube preparation allows for preservation.
The amount of oil per cube is minimal.
To prevent it from frying, simply use it with water or other liquids.
You’ll find it as an ingredient in many recipes on the blog.
100% vegetable.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
Ingredients
It’s an easy recipe with just three types of vegetables – carrots, onions, and celery – and extra virgin olive oil.
- 4 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1 celery stalk
- 1.06 cups extra virgin olive oil (raw – approximately)
Suggested Tools
Making stock cubes at home has never been so easy!
To prepare it, you need a food processor or a blender with sturdy blades.
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Ice Tray
Preparation
Clean and wash all the vegetables thoroughly:
– peel the carrots and remove the ends;
– peel the onions and remove the ends;
– remove the leaves and ends from the celery.
Pour the oil into the food processor container.
Add the chopped vegetables and blend until you get a homogeneous mixture.If the mixture is too dry, add more oil, little by little.
The color of the mixture may vary depending on the quantity of each vegetable: more orange, more yellow, more green.
Your homemade light vegetable stock cube without salt and no cooking is ready to be frozen.
The addition of oil to the vegetable stock cube preparation allows for preservation.
The amount of oil per cube is minimal.
To prevent it from frying, simply use it with water or other liquids.In the case of brothy first courses, to avoid glycemic spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately, rinse it, and add it to the brothy sauce prepared separately; in this way, the starch released by the pasta during cooking is eliminated.
Cook the pasta separately from the broth.
Drain and rinse it well under running water to remove the released starch.
Add it to the brothy sauce prepared separately.
This way, you reduce the glycemic load of the dish and make it more manageable and light, without giving up the comfort of pasta in broth.The light vegetable stock cube and the homemade tomato sauce without sugar or oil in cooking are my two essential bases for a healthy and quick kitchen.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
Store the light vegetable stock cube in the freezer immediately after preparation:
– pour the mixture into ice cube molds;
or spread it in trays lined with parchment paper, let it freeze, then cut into cubes and store in freezer bags.
It keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer.
One vegetable stock cube is enough to flavor up to 13.5 – 20 fl oz of water, depending on the desired taste intensity.
Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in hot or cold water to get a light and tasty vegetable broth.
Add a vegetable stock cube to flavor sauces and recipes with vegetables, legumes, meat, and fish, and as a base for a light sauté without adding additional oil during cooking.
Indispensable for the preparation of risottos, soups, and broths.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
About Carrot
Some foods have a low glycemic index when raw and a high glycemic index when cooked.
The carrot is among these: raw food GI 30, cooked food GI 85.
In addition to the glycemic index, it’s important to consider the glycemic load, which is determined by the amount of food consumed.
The amount of carrot per cube is minimal, so the glycemic load remains low.
However, considering the use of the light vegetable stock cube in cooking, if you deem it appropriate, you can reduce the amount of carrots or prepare a light vegetable stock cube with only onions and celery.
The important thing is to find the balance between taste and individual needs.Can I use other vegetables?
You can experiment with other vegetables, but the basic recipe with carrots, onions, and celery is the most balanced and versatile.
Information on Packaged Vegetable Stock Cube
The percentage of vegetables contained is really minimal; it has a high salt content and also contains fats and, in some cases, additives like glutamate.
To be avoided or limited, especially in case of hyperglycemia.
