Roasted Mushroom Broth

The idea of making mushroom broth came up while I was looking for great, and nutritious, vegetable broth recipes. Vegetable broth was one of the things allowed on my cleanse and boxed is bland and gross. While I was looking I found a ton of mushroom broth recommendations. After during my research, I decided to make my own mushroom broth instead of vegetable broth and I am so glad I did.

Why mushrooms?

Well, because they’re delicious, and they are a great meat alternative. They relatively high in protein, by weight and contain a ton of vitamins and minerals! As a result, mushroom broth is a great alternative for healing your gut, boosting your immune system and remineralizing your body. It was an easy choice for me for adding to the cleanse I was doing gearing for doing all of those things!

Even when not on a cleanse, mushroom broth is a rich, hearty option for soups and grains, and any dish that you would use regular broths/stocks. I decided to roast my mushrooms to kick up the natural flavors just a bit since I would be drinking it as is. Also, using a variety of mushrooms (shiitake, reishi, cremini, etc) will provide a more complex flavor, but I am a fan of using what you have on hand or is easily accessible for making broths. For me that meant, mostly cremini mushrooms plus some ginger, oregano, and turmeric that are staples in my kitchen.

Roasted Mushroom Broth
ingredients

• 1.5 pound mixed mushrooms, 
• 1 yellow onion, skin on and halved crosswise 
• 3 cloves garlic smashed 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3 quarts cold water 
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped 
• 1 tbsp sea salt, plus more to taste

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. While oven is coming to temperature chop mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces and half the onion.
2. Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the onion halves into the mushrooms, sprinkle the smashed garlic over, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15-20 minutes. 
3. Add the remaining olive oil to a heavy stockpot and heat until shimmering. Add the grated carrot, turmeric, oregano and ginger. 
4. Remove the sheet from the oven and drop the roasted mushrooms and onions into the pot with the carrot and seasonings mixture.
5. Pour in the broth and bring it all to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue simmering, covered, for about 30 minutes.
6. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, add additional salt, if needed. Then use a wide-mouthed funnel to pour it into two 1-quart jars, sealing the lids tightly. 

From here you can cook with the broth right away, or store it. It will last about 5 days in the fridge and approximately 6 months in the freezer. Just make sure to leave head room in a glass jar prior to freezing.