Skip the Bin: 10 Recipe Ideas for Vegetable Scraps

From carrot tops to wilted herbs, greens have loads to give, even if they may seem past their prime.  The EPA estimates that the U.S. wasted 66 million tons of wasted food in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors, and about 60% of this waste was sent to landfills.

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Skip landfill or compost and use these ideas to use up every bit of your veggies. 

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Homemade Vegetable Broth 

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Collect scraps like onion skins, carrot tops, celery leaves, and potato peels. Simmer them with water, garlic, herbs, and salt to make a flavorful vegetable broth.

Veggie Scrap Stir-Fry

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Use bell pepper cores, broccoli stems, and other vegetable scraps in a stir-fry. Toss them with a tasty sauce for a quick and nutritious meal.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

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Combine various scraps like squash ends, beet greens and asparagus stems. Roast them with olive oil, salt, and your favorite seasonings. (This one also makes a great plant-based holiday side-dish.)

Vegetable Chips

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Slice scraps thinly and bake or air-fry them for crispy vegetable chips. Sprinkle with seasoning for added flavor.

Frittata or Quiche

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Add sautéed scraps like kale stems, mushroom stems, and onion skins to eggs for a delicious frittata or quiche.

Homemade Pesto

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Use carrot tops, radish greens, or herb stems to create a unique pesto sauce. Blend with nuts, olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

Vegetable Stock Ice Cubes

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Freeze vegetable scraps in ice cube trays to use as flavor boosters in sauces and soups.

Pickled Vegetables

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Pickle cucumber ends, carrot peels, or other vegetable scraps for a crunchy and tangy snack.

Veggie Scrap Soup

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Combine various scraps with beans, lentils, or grains to make a hearty soup.

Vegetable Scrap Omelette

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Sautee scraps like bell pepper cores, spinach stems, and zucchini ends. Fold them into an omelet with cheese for a nutritious breakfast.

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