Everyday kitchen · Easy
Blended vegetable freezer base
Onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fresh tomato are softened in olive oil, simmered in water and blended with all of their cooking liquid into a thick vegetable purée. Freeze it in portions and dilute it with water for a quick soup, or use it undiluted to start sauces and stews. It is a thick base, not a clear stock.
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Total time
- 90 minutes
- Portions
- 8
Estimated nutrition
| Nutrient | Per portion | Whole batch |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 63 kcal | 504 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3 g | 10.5 g |
| Carbs | 9.3 g | 74.7 g |
| Fiber | 2.5 g | 19.8 g |
| Sugars | 4.4 g | 35.5 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 2.7 g | 22 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.4 g | 3.1 g |
| Sodium | 53 mg | 425 mg |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
How these estimates work
Per portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
Estimate includes all onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil and cooking water, divided into eight portions. No salt is added; sodium comes naturally from the vegetables, especially celery and carrots, and from tap water. Water added when serving is not counted and does not add calories. A soup or sauce base, not a complete meal.
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Ingredients, sources & assumptions
All listed edible food and oil are counted as eaten. Cooking losses and final cooked weight are not measured. Some ingredients use a stated reference food or a proxy for a missing nutrient. No personalized dietary advice.
Oil, olive, salad or cooking · 20 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceOnions, raw · 250 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceCarrots, raw · 300 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceCelery, raw · 200 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceGarlic, raw · 15 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceTomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average · 300 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceBeverages, water, tap, drinking · 750 g in the original batch
USDA food referenceCalculation version 2. Source records and method are documented in our nutrition guide.
Nutrition guidancePer portion and for your whole batch. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory-tested nutrition facts. Optional ingredients are excluded.
Estimate includes all onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil and cooking water, divided into eight portions. No salt is added; sodium comes naturally from the vegetables, especially celery and carrots, and from tap water. Water added when serving is not counted and does not add calories. A soup or sauce base, not a complete meal.
USDA FoodData Central references. Brands, food varieties, preparation and portion size change the result. Added sugars assume plain, unsweetened ingredients; for prepared breads and sauces, a range shows zero to the reference food’s total sugar because the added amount is unspecified.
Let’s make it
Steps at a glance 6 steps
Amounts below match your selected batch. Follow each short step, and use timers as reminders to check the food.
Equipment
Kitchen scale · Vegetable peeler · Cutting board and knife · Large pot with lid · Wooden spoon · Immersion blender or countertop blender · Shallow freezer-safe containers with lids
- 1
Prepare the vegetables
Wash hands and all produce. Peel and chop 250 g onion; trim and slice 300 g (about 5 medium carrots, trimmed) carrots and 200 g celery; peel and chop 15 g garlic; core and chop 300 g tomatoes, keeping their juice.
- 2
Soften the vegetables
Heat 20 g olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
- 3
Simmer until very tender
Add the tomatoes with their juice and 750 ml water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer 25 minutes, until the carrots are very tender when pierced.
- 4
Blend everything
Take the pot off the heat and rest 10 minutes. Blend the entire contents, every vegetable and all the liquid, until smooth: use an immersion blender with the blade fully submerged, or a countertop blender filled no more than halfway with the lid vent open and covered by a folded towel. Do not strain; this is a thick vegetable base, not a clear stock.
- 5
Portion, cool and freeze
Divide into equal portions, one per serving (eight for the base batch), in shallow freezer-safe containers, leaving headspace. Cool uncovered about 20 minutes, then cover and refrigerate or freeze within 2 hours of cooking. Label with the date.
- 6
Use a portion
For one bowl of light soup, heat one portion with roughly half its volume of water, stirring, until steaming throughout and 165°F / 74°C. Use undiluted as a base for sauces, stews or cooked grains.
My private recipe notes
Your notes don’t change this recipe’s dietary tags or nutrition.
How did this recipe turn out?
After trying it, share what you loved or help us make it better. You can change your vote anytime.
Loading community feedback…
Make it work for you
For kids & different preferences
Completely smooth once blended, like a thick soup. Serve warm, not hot; stir and check the temperature first. Children can wash vegetables with supervision; adults handle knives, the stove and hot blending. Not age-specific feeding guidance.
Storage & packed lunches
Refrigerate in shallow covered containers at 40°F / 4°C or colder within 2 hours of cooking (within 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C) and use within 3 days. This is not a canning recipe; do not store at room temperature.
Freezing & reheating
Freeze portions in covered freezer-safe containers with headspace for up to 1 month for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator, or heat directly from frozen.
Thaw in the refrigerator or heat from frozen in a covered pan over low heat, stirring. Dilute with water as described, then heat until steaming throughout and 165°F / 74°C.
If something looks different
If the purée is fibrous, the celery needed longer simmering or blending. If it is very thick, it reduced more than expected; add water when you use it. Bland flavor is expected without salt; season the finished dish to your household’s preference.
Something wrong with an ingredient or instruction? Tell us
Updated 2026-10-29
Bethany’s Kitchen · /recipes/blended-vegetable-freezer-base · Original instructions and generated food illustration. General culinary practice informed the method; no third-party prose or photograph copied. Not physically kitchen-tested or human-reviewed.