Parsley: How Can I Use It?

Parsley is a leafy herb commonly found in spice cabinets across the country. Lots of people have parsley, but not everyone knows of the many ways to use it. While it works as a seasoning on top of different meals, including pasta dishes, you can do so much more with parsley than you might realize. In addition, the herb is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K, making it a great ingredient to use as often as possible.

In case you missed this post, How To Dehydrate Parsley/Plus Powder

How Can I Use It?

Add It to Vegetables

One of the best ways to enhance the flavor of vegetables, such as carrots, asparagus, and butternut squash, is to sprinkle them with parsley. You can get the parsley to stick with ease by drizzling a teaspoon or two of olive oil over the vegetables first, adding the parsley with a bit of salt and pepper, and then tossing everything together for a few seconds. Once you’ve tossed your ingredients with the oil, parsley, salt, and pepper, you can place the vegetables on a baking sheet or put them in the air fryer to cook them. I highly recommend having Stainless Steel Colanders

Put It In Your Salads

Don’t be afraid to add parsley to your salads. It’s an excellent addition to a salad consisting of romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, Feta cheese, and a vinaigrette. Parsley adds a bit of flavor to the salad! While it’s excellent in traditional salads consisting of lettuce and other veggies, it’s also an ideal ingredient to use in pasta salads. If you like to make a pasta salad comprised of macaroni, dressing, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and other fresh ingredients, feel free to sprinkle some parsley into the mixture with your ingredients. It contributes to the flavor of the pasta salad that you might serve at family functions.

Mix It with Olive Oil

Did you know that you can create parsley-infused olive oil? First, pour olive oil into a small glass bottle with a lid. Next, put your fresh parsley pieces into the glass bottle with the olive oil and allow it to sit by a window with natural sunlight for several weeks. While it takes time to get this parsley-infused oil ready to use, it’s worth the wait. After a few weeks, you can use it as your base oil for any meals that you’re planning to make. In addition, the parsley adds a rich flavor to the oil!

Use It as an Ingredient in Marinades

When making marinades for different meats, parsley is an excellent addition. You can make marinades when you combine other ingredients, such as olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, and more. If you have a marinade that you like to use for chicken, steak, or other types of meat, consider adding parsley to the list of ingredients that you’ll use. Not only does parsley add to the flavor of the marinade, but it also makes it even better for you because it contains vitamins and other nutrients.

Freshen Your Breath with Parsley

If you’d like to freshen your breath on the spot, chew a bit of fresh parsley. It works wonders to eliminate foul odors from the mouth. It works so well because parsley has a fresh scent of its own that works well at removing odors. If you eat something containing garlic and you feel like your breath doesn’t smell as fresh as you’d like, you can put a piece of parsley in your mouth and chew it for a few minutes to get rid of the odor as fast as possible.

Make Cups of Parsley Tea

You can use parsley to make a hot tea beverage that soothes the throat and tastes fantastic. Do you like drinking hot tea? If so, give parsley tea a try. It’s also a great alternative to coffee in the morning. Because parsley tea contains antioxidants good for the body, drinking a cup a day can do your body good. Some women drink it during that time of the month because it can help with menstrual cramps. It’s also believed to help lower high blood pressure and help with maintaining ideal blood sugar levels.

Add It to Water with Some Fresh Lemon Slices

If you’d like to drink more water but struggle with such a plain taste, give your water more flavor with parsley and some lemon slices. You can infuse the water by adding two or three pieces of lemon to a glass full of water and then sprinkle a bit of parsley on top. Use a straw to mix the parsley into the water. You may notice that your beverage tastes much more refreshing than before. It’s the perfect way to start drinking more water and less soda, juice, and other unhealthy drinks. And, when you’re drinking water with lemon and parsley, you’re reaping the benefits that come from both of these healthy ingredients.

Use It to Create a Hair Tonic

Get your hair to grow even faster with parsley. Many people use it as a primary ingredient in hair tonics to clean the scalp and encourage hair growth while stopping hair loss. You can blend parsley with a bit of rosemary oil and a few other ingredients, such as lavender and rose petals, to create a soothing tonic for the hair and scalp. Once you’ve prepared the product, apply it to your clean, dry scalp and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with cool water in the shower. With continued use of this homemade hair product, you may start seeing some great results.

Fresh or Bottled Parsley: Which Is Better?

Both fresh parsley and bottled dried parsley are often available at grocery stores. While both have a similar taste, fresh is best. With fresh parsley, you can cut it into the perfect pieces. You might want to make sure the pieces of parsley are large so that you can add a lot more flavor to the foods you’re preparing. While it helps to have fresh parsley available to use and cut to your liking, dried parsley is still good to have. It lasts long and stays fresh when stored in a spice cabinet. It will taste good when added to your favorite bowl of pasta or sprinkled over some of your favorite meats.

Make Chimichurri with Parsley

Chimichurri is the perfect sauce to add to chicken thighs. If you want to prepare a zesty and flavorful dish, you can combine several simple ingredients, such as red wine vinegar, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic, and a few other ingredients. Once you’ve combined the ingredients to make a sauce, you can add it to a skillet, pouring it over your cooked chicken thighs as you’re preparing them on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil. When you’re preparing chimichurri with parsley, you can use as much fresh parsley as you’d like. It gives the sauce more flavor and that signature green color.

Use It on Your Face

Did you know that you can use fresh parsley on your face? It contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties that make it an excellent addition to any facial products you’re using. For example, if you like to use natural oils on your skin, you can add a bit of the parsley to these oils before rubbing it in on your skin and letting it soak in. Make homemade face masks using parsley combined with other ingredients, such as mashed avocado and egg. It works well to help fight common signs of aging, such as wrinkles and lines around the eyes. If you want your skin to have a healthy, youthful glow, consider adding parsley to your skincare routine because it can make a difference.

While you can use dried parsley on your face, fresh is best. It’s easy to find fresh parsley in the grocery store. It’s often in the produce section surrounded by fruits, vegetables, and bagged salad mixes. You can also start growing parsley in your backyard to make sure you always have access to it when you need it, whether you’re using it for your skin or adding it to some of your favorite recipes.

Final Word

You probably didn’t realize that there were so many ways to use parsley other than sprinkling it over your food to enhance its appearance and flavor. This herb that most people have in their pantries at home can do much more than making food look or taste better. It’s a valuable ingredient that you can use to make tea, create hair tonics, and even freshen your breath. So, with plenty of ways to use this beneficial ingredient and reap the many health benefits it offers, what do you think you’ll do first with parsley? May God Bless this world, Linda