Learn how to make your own almost Sauté Express herbal saute cubes for quick, flavorful meals and side dishes! These tasty herb cooking cubes are a delicious way to impart a burst of flavor to meats, vegetables, and side dishes.
Are you tired of eating the same old things week after week? Do you wish you had some flavor excitement on your menu? Are you someone who loves deeply layered flavors, but you fret over paring the right herbs together to make the right combination? Or worst of all, is your schedule so jam-packed that you just don’t have time to think about adding triumphant flavors to your food?
If any, or all, of these questions, tend to identify you then this article and these extremely simple recipes are definitely for you! In this article, you will learn how to get some awesome flavors for about a month worth of food in about five minutes! That’s right – about 5 minutes!
Tasty Herb Cooking Cubes
Oh sure, you can buy the commercial version of these, but they are quite expensive in comparison to what you will get from these recipes, which is a lot more for your money, and most of them are full of salt, whereas these have none.
I got 24 flavorful herb cooking cubes from the first recipe alone for less than the cost of one box of six cubes from the store, and you can, too!
Equipment
Small Bowl
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Knife and Cutting Board
Mixing Spoon or Spatula
Plastic Ice Cube Trays or Foam Egg Cartons (very clean and dry)
Garlic & Herb Cooking Cubes
You’ll Need:
2 sticks Butter, room temperature
1-1/2 c. Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil, room temperature
1 Green Onion, finely chopped (OR – 1 Tbsp. Dried Onion)
2 cloves Garlic, crushed (OR – 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder)
1/4 c. Parsley, chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Parsley)
2 tsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped (OR – 1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme)
2 tsp. Fresh Basil, chopped (OR – 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil)
Juice of 1/2 Lemon (OR – 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice)
Lemon Pepper Cooking Cubes
You’ll Need:
1 stick Butter, room temperature
1-1/2 c. Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil, room temperature
1 clove Garlic, crushed (OR – 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder)
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 – 1 tsp. Black Pepper
Juice of 2 Lemons (OR – 4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice)
Italian Cooking Cubes
You’ll Need:
1 stick Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil, room temperature
2 cloves Garlic, crushed (OR – 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder)
1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano, chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Oregano)
1 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Basil)
1-1/2 tsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped (OR – 3/4 tsp. Dried Thyme)
1/2 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped (OR – 1/4 tsp. Dried Rosemary)
1/2 tsp. Fresh Sage, chopped (OR – 1/4 tsp. Dried Sage)
*NOTE: You may substitute vegetable shortening with olive oil if desired.
Directions (for all)
Choose your desired recipe and place all ingredients for that recipe in a small mixing bowl.
Mix all ingredients well, scraping down sides as you go.
Fill compartments of an egg carton (foam-type only) or ice cube trays. Place containers in the freezer and let set – about 2 hours.
Flip cubes out on waxed paper or tray by gently pressing gently on the bottom of eggcups or slightly twisting ice cube tray.
Store cubes in a container with wax paper between layers or drop into a zip top bag. Keep in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
To Use
Add the desired amount to pan or pot for frying, sautéing, or stewing.
Add to salted pasta water to infuse pasta.
Add to pasta after cooking and draining to use in place of sauce.
Rub a cube or two over whole chicken, turkey, or a roast just before roasting.
Use on grilling meats before adding to grill – it will help prevent sticking and add flavor.
Alternatively, you can fill ice cube trays with chopped fresh herbs, add oil to fill, freeze. Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and transfer them to a sealed bag or container until ready to use.
Copycat Sauté Express Herb Cubes
Equipment
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Mixing Spoon or Spatula
- 2 Plastic Ice Cube Trays or Foam Egg Cartons (very clean and dry)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter (room temperature)
- 1½ cup Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil (room temperature)
- 1 Green Onion, fresh (finely chopped (OR - 1 Tbsp. Dried Onion))
- 2 cloves Garlic, fresh (crushed (OR - 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder))
- ¼ cup Parsley, fresh (chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Parsley))
- 2 teaspoon Thyme, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme))
- 2 teaspoon Basil, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil))
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, Fresh
- 1 stick Butter (room temperature)
- 1½ cup Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil (room temperature)
- 1 clove Garlic (crushed (OR – 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder))
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh
- ½ cup Butter (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cup Vegetable Shortening or solid coconut oil (room temperature)
- 2 cloves Garlic (crushed (OR – 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder))
- 1 Tablespoon Oregano, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Oregano))
- 1 Tablespoon Basil, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1 tsp. Dried Basil))
- 1½ teaspoon Thyme, Fresh (chopped (OR – 3/4 tsp. Dried Thyme))
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1/4 tsp. Dried Rosemary))
- ½ teaspoon Sage, Fresh (chopped (OR – 1/4 tsp. Dried Sage))
Instructions
- Choose the flavor you desire and mix all ingredients listed under that flavor in a bowl, mixing well. Be sure to scrape down the sides and ensure the herbs are mixed evenly throughout.
- Fill ice cube trays with the herb butter mixture.
- Place containers in the freezer and let set – about 2 hours.
- Once frozen, transfer the cubes to ziploc or vacuum seal bags, removing as much air as possible.
Equipment
Notes
How To Use Herb Tasty Cubes:
Add the desired amount to pan or pot for frying, sautéing, or stewing.Add to salted pasta water to infuse pasta.
Add to pasta after cooking and draining to use in place of sauce.
Rub a cube or two over whole chicken, turkey, or a roast just before roasting.
Use on grilling meats before adding to grill – it will help prevent sticking and add flavor.
Add a cube to freshly cut vegetables in a foil pack, close and grill until tender.
If you altered the ingedients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cooking/baking time.
Image Credit: Nilab.tv
