Favorite Recipes for Using Fresh Thyme

Updated on March 29, 2013
D.K. asks from Richmond, IN
10 answers

Hello mamas and papas,

A friend of my husband's gave us a small bag full of fresh thyme. I have never really used thyme much for cooking. How do I use it? Do I dump the whole stick in while cooking or take the green tips off? It doesn't really look like a leaf to me. When I think of a leaf, I think of something like bay leaf or sweet basil. When do I add the thyme, the beginning or the end of cooking? Also are there any health concerns to worry about when using thyme? My son has asthma, but celery leaf doesn't bother him. Celery leaf is sometimes bad for people with asthma.

I am okay with experimental cooking. Let's see: I have chicken, potatoes, corn, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and various beans on hand. Can I use them with thyme?

Please share your favorite recipes using fresh thyme. Open to all ideas. Thanks in advance.

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So What Happened?

Keep the ideas coming. I love experimenting with food.

I ended up using a third of the thyme I was given in a soup, a third for a salad dressing, and the last of it I will figure out how to use tomorrow. The soup had a great smell! In fact my hands still smell like the thyme. I sliced some tomatoes and made a dressing for them out of olive oil, scallions, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, fresh sweet basil, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper and a little salt. My husband and I really liked it. My son liked the soup, but he really hates tomatoes. He said the dressing was good though.

@Hazel Thank you so much for telling me how to take care of the thyme. It took me a while to take the leaves off though. Is there a trick to taking the leaves off? Also could you share the oven-baked brown rice and mushroom recipe. I tried looking for it, but couldn't find a match on the website. Thanks for the tip on asthma, too.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

I throw Thyme into anything.
I don't find recipes for it... I use it with whatever I already make or will make.
It is a leaf. Small leaves on a stem.
You either put it in a bouquet garni thing, or, pull of the leaves and put it in dishes while you are cooking it. It is edible.

Who knows if it affects Asthma. EACH individual with Asthma, has different triggers.
*I*... have Asthma. What affects me will be different than him.
We asthmatics... all vary in what triggers it.

With all the ingredients you listed, you can make a soup. And throw in the Thyme to season it along with other seasoning.

3 moms found this helpful

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T.W.

answers from Syracuse on

Sometimes when I bake chicken, I'll rub it with a mixture of olive oil, rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper and then just bake it in the oven, it's really good that way.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.D.

answers from Eugene on

Oooooo my favorite is to toss chunks of sweet potatoes and onions with chicken pieces (with skin and bones) with olive oil and salt. Put in a roasting pan. Drizzle with a few table spoons of maple syrup, then top with sprigs of thyme. Roast for an hour and twenty minutes at 450, stirring potatoes and onions half way through. Soooo good!

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

First, thyme is used as a remedy for asthma-- google "thyme asthma" and you'll find a list of sites claiming this.

I just used some thyme from my garden today; put them in the crock pot with diced potatoes, carrots, red pepper and a little broth. I wash the sprigs (those little sticks with the teeny leaves) and press dry with a paper towel before using. The veg turned out a little soft and stewy today (we were out all afternoon, so crock pot time). You can also toss the veg along with mushrooms and kalamata olives with some olive oil and fresh thyme and bake in the oven. Yum! For this, I tossed in whole sprigs and just removed the stems at the end.

My very favorite recipe to use thyme in is a Joy of Cooking dish-- oven-baked brown rice with mushrooms. I love this dish in the fall or winter!
For this, I would strip the leaves from the sprigs, as you don't want the woody bits mixed into a bite of food and it will be harder to remove at the end.

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M.G.

answers from Seattle on

I love to make roasted potatoes with herbs. Quarter potatoes, use a few tablespoons of oil to coast, add desired herbs and various seasonings and bake at 350 degrees on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet until golden brown. It usually takes 40 mins my oven for 6 medium red potatoes.

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

I toss thyme in with just about any meat type dish... soups, stews, roasts, etc....

I usually use dried thyme, but love to use fresh thyme when it is available....

It is usually best to strip off the tiny leaves from the stem.

My basic "go to" herbs are thyme, basil, oregano.... I don't like the powdered or ground herbs, but prefer the crushed/chopped herbs..... I just sprinkle them in and let them simmer....

ETA: As far as how to take all the tiny leaves off.... start at the top, pinch your thumb and forefinger together, and just run down the stem... if you do it gently enough, that should strip off most of the leaves without breaking the stem..... if the stem is soft enough that it keeps breaking, also, then it probably won't be a problem with having little woody bits....

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

We use a blend of finely chopped spices--thyme, garlic, parsley, basil. rosemary--mixed with olive oil. We put it all together and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer and use it on meats, potatoes, vegetables, breads...with a little (sea or kosher) salt. It's quick and easy and dresses up any dish.

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S.S.

answers from Sacramento on

My favourite thyme recipe is boeuf bourguignon. Brown cubed chuck steak, toss in mushrooms, bacon and fresh cocktail-sized onion. Add beef stock, plenty of red wine, and garlic and simmer. Half-way through your simmer add a few sticks of thyme, and two bay leaves. Add sifted flour to thicken the sauce. When serving, remove the bay leaves and them sticks.m serve with mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and red wine.

1 mom found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

it's funny, thyme and rosemary grow beautifully in my herb garden, and i'm not overly fond of either. when i use them i do just as you say, treat them like bay leaves. simmer 'em in the dish, then remove them whole.
if you have more thyme than you can use, freeze it!
khairete
S.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

This yummy recipe was in the Chicago Tribune 7/30/08. Excellent summer meal. You certainly could use any type of corn kernels instead of grilling ears of corn. Good luck!

Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad
Prep: 15 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Yield: 2 servings

3 ears corn in husks, protruding silk removed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ t salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch planks lengthwise
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 T each: freshly squeezed lemon juice, red wine vinegar
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh thyme

1. Heat grill to high. Grill corn, turning as needed to prevent burning, until done, about 25 minutes (husks may be darkened without burning the corn).

2. Meanwhile, place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with a rolling pin or heavy spatula until about ½-inch thick. Season both sides with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper to taste.

3. Grill chicken and zucchini until done, about 5 minutes per side. Cut zucchini into cubes; place in large bowl. Add tomatoes. Shuck corn; cut kernels off cobs. Add corn to the bowl.

4. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; whisk in the olive oil. Stir in thyme. Toss corn salad with all but 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette; season with pepper to taste, plus more salt if needed. Slice chicken breasts into ½ inch slices. Divide corn salad between 2 dinner plates. Top with sliced chicken. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over chicken.

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