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Parmesan broth in a clear container.

Homemade Parmesan Broth

  • Author: Jessie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Inactive Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 4 quarts 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Description

This easy homemade parmesan broth is perfect for pastas, soups, risottos, and more! 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 head garlic, halved
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 5-8 parmesan cheese rinds (use real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rinds for best results)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 4-5 quarts water (enough to almost fill whatever pot you’re using)
  • Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Sauté the Veggies (5-10 minutes)

Build the Flavor & Simmer the Broth (2-4 hours)

Strain and Store (1 hour)


Notes

Additions and Substitutions. This broth is very flexible. The parmesan rinds and water are the star players here (along with a pinch of salt) but the rest of the ingredients - what we like to call our "flavor enhancers" - are easy to adjust! Carrots, onion, bay leaves, fresh parsley or thyme, mushrooms, and leeks are all wonderful in this broth. We recommend using 4-6 flavor enhancers any time you make parmesan broth for a balanced, robust flavor. This is also a great place to use any leftover veggie scraps, like carrot peels, dark green leek pieces, end pieces of an onion, or garlic trimmings from roasting a head of garlic. Be sure to read the full post above for more guidance on swaps and substitutions!

Do I have to sauté the veggies? No - if you're short on time, you can skip this step. You'll lose a little bit of depth and complexity, but the broth will still taste great!

Storage and freezing. Let parmesan broth cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost frozen parmesan broth in the fridge overnight when you're ready to use it. If you plan to freeze your parmesan broth, we recommend using plastic airtight containers instead of glass (the broth will expand as it freezes, which can cause glass jars to crack).

As the broth sets, any extra cheese will solidify! Some parmesan cheese will naturally melt off the rinds and into the broth as it cooks. When the broth cools, this cheese rises to the surface and can form a thick, white crust along the top of the broth. You can remove this cheese if you like, but we typically leave it! It will melt right back into the broth when you heat it up in a soup or other recipe. The broth may also have some large white chunks of parmesan floating around after you defrost it: This is normal and the chunks will melt back into the sauce once it's re-heated.

Use parmesan broth anywhere you would use chicken or veggie stock! We love this broth in brothy butter beans, tortellini soup, as a light pasta sauce with a squeeze of lemon juice, in a cozy summer risotto, or in place of veggie broth in our Magic Cauliflower Cream sauce!

Keywords: broth, stock, soup