If you know me (or have read anything I’ve ever written) you will know that I am obsessed with bone broth.

If broth has no fans, I’m dead. Give me my meat tea. I love it.

Swapping to quality bone broth (this is my favorite variety pack to keep in my pantry at all times!) has been the number one most noticeable shift when it comes to my cooking. For ages I couldn’t figure out why I would follow recipes to the letter and the dishes still wouldn’t taste as rich as they did on restaurant china.

I viewed broth as background noise. Something wet and salty that I picked up based on the sale sticker or prettier packaging. Really, it’s the backbone.

This week we're talking about the one upgrade that will make everything you cook taste better, heartier, and more flavorful without changing a single other thing about how you cook.

Brodo is our personal favorite brand to shop for the best tasting, most nutrient-rich broth that is sipable every day (which I wouldn’t do with other broths). Stock up here!

What’s cooking at Pepper this week? 🌶️

This February’s cold has been more violent and humbling than ever before. It seems like I’m not alone in feeling this way, because the Pepper community has been going wild for soups, stews, and cozy porridges and pastas this month.

Here are the top three recipes using bone broth as the base:

🔥 Most Popular: Chicken Congee (try with the organic chicken Brodo)

🏆 Hidden Gem: French Onion Pasta (try with the Organic Mushroom Brodo)

✨ Crowd Pleaser: Creamy White Chicken Chili (try with the Signature Hearth Brodo)

Search "bone broth" in the app and you'll find hundreds of recipes where quality broth makes all the difference.

Also! Reminder that along with being able to search for specific recipes and ingredients on the app, you can also follow your favorite chefs. If you’ve made something that you loved, check out their other recipes by just clicking on their Pepper cookbooks!

Health Benefits of Brodo

Marco Canora, James Beard Award-winning chef and the owner of Hearth in NYC, started drinking broth to support his own health and noticed such incredible benefits, that in 2014, he opened a takeout window at Hearth that sold one thing: bone broth in to-go cups. People lined up around the block.

That became Brodo.

Standard grocery store boxed broth is a mix of water, chicken or beef flavor concentrate, salt, vegetable powder, yeast extract, and other "natural flavorings."

Brodo uses a 1:1 ratio of ingredients to water. That means for every cup of liquid, there's nearly half a pound of organic bones and vegetables going in.

1. Gut Support

Bone broth contains gelatin, which breaks down into amino acids like glutamine. These help strengthen your gut lining, calm inflammation, and improve how your body absorbs nutrients.

2. Joint Support

Along with the amino acids, your body digests gelatin into peptides that are used to rebuild cartilage and connective tissue. Read: less joint pain and better mobility.

3. Electrolytes

Every cup of bone broth contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. These are the same electrolytes in sports drinks (just without the dyes, sugar, and artificial flavoring).

That means it’s great for when you're recovering from being sick, dehydrated from working out, or you live somewhere cold and dry. Your body absorbs water better when it has electrolytes to work with.

4. Protein and Amino Acids

One cup of bone broth has 10g of protein per cup as well as amino acids like glycine which are key for improving sleep quality. Instead of spiking your cortisol like coffee, bone broth gives you steady, calm energy.

5 Ways to Use Better Broth (That Actually Make a Difference)

1. Rice and Grains

Swap water for broth when cooking rice, quinoa, farro, or any grain. It’ll make your rice taste of something rather than just being a vehicle for whatever you put on top.

Use a 1:1 ratio. If the recipe calls for 2 cups water, use 2 cups Brodo instead. Add a little butter or olive oil at the end.

Try this: Tomato Risotto with Grilled Vegetables and Halloumi

2. Soup Base

This is the most obvious use, but it's worth saying: your soup is only as good as your broth.

Soup made with boxed broth tastes thin and one-dimensional. Soup made with Brodo tastes like you slow-cooked chicken all day even if you used rotisserie chicken and threw it together in 20 minutes.

Try this: Chicken and Gnocchi Soup that’s a favorite of the whole family!

3. Braising Liquid

When you braise meat (pot roast, short ribs, chicken thighs), the liquid you cook it in becomes the sauce.

Brown your meat. Add aromatics (onions, garlic, carrots). Pour in bone broth until the meat is halfway submerged. Cover and cook low and slow (oven at 300°F for 2-3 hours or slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours).

Try this: These Sweet & Tangy Braised Short Ribs have over 15k saves on Pepper!

4. Pasta Sauce Booster

Add a splash of bone broth to tomato sauce, cream sauce, or butter sauce while it's simmering to add a level of complexity and an extra health boost. The gelatin helps it cling to the pasta instead of sliding off.

Try this the next time you make any simple pasta dish!

5. Morning Mug (my favorite!)

Drink it straight. I love having a warm mug of broth in the morning instead of my second cup of coffee or tea. It’s perfectly savory and doesn’t give me the inevitable jitters that the extra caffeine would. You also get 10g of protein and natural sodium for hydration.

My favorite Brodo flavors are the Signature Hearth, Tom Yum, Deeply Rooted (this one is so ginger-y and delicious), and the Tuscan Sun!