When we have this oven roasted garlic on hand, we often build entire meals around it!
This simple and easy recipe for Oven Roasted Garlic is a great way to transform your meals, vegetables, sauces, and recipes. It’s quick to put together and keeps well in the fridge, so it is a no-brainer! Seriously, this is a weekday effort with a weekend taste. Plus, kids often love the taste of garlic, which is a great way to introduce new vegetables for picky palates.
Roasted Garlic Memories
Is there anything better than walking into a kitchen that smells like garlic? My twin brother had his first apartment in the North End of Boston many years ago. It was primarily an Italian community with many specialty shops and restaurants. I remember walking around drooling because the whole neighborhood smelled like roasted garlic and baked bread. You can capture that aroma in your own home by using the roasted garlic when it is still warm, squeezing it onto a plate and drizzling some olive oil and herbs on it, mashing it a bit, and pairing it with some fresh Italian bread. It will be devoured!
Squeezing freshly roasted garlic into a pot
Everything is Better with Oven Roasted Garlic!
We love garlic in our house. So much so that when we have this oven-roasted garlic on hand, we often build entire meals around it. The meal planning discussion starts with: “What do you want to eat with the garlic?”. From there, anything goes – spread it on bread in a sandwich, blend it into hummus, soups, or pasta sauce, toss it in cooked vegetables or potatoes, sprinkle it onto pizza – your culinary imagination only limits you!
Garlic is Seriously Good For You, Too
We also like incorporating garlic into our diet because of its health benefits. The benefits of garlic have been appreciated for centuries. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, prescribed garlic to treat a variety of medical conditions. Garlic has proven itself to be an effective killer of bacteria and viruses, inhibiting the growth of infectious agents and protecting the body from pathogens. This is a little gross, but even the blood of garlic eaters can kill bacteria.
In addition, garlic has active compounds that studies have shown can lower blood pressure and reduce total and LDL cholesterol (the bad one). It also contains antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative stress and damage. Eating garlic is a win for your health!
The first step: slicing the tops of the garlic headsOnce cut, simply pour some olive oil over the cut edges of the headsThat moment when you unwrap the garlic fresh from the oven!
This simple and easy recipe for Oven Roasted Garlic is a great way to transform your meals, vegetables, sauces and recipes. It’s quick to put together and keeps well in the fridge, so it is a no brainer!
Ingredients
Scale
3 heads of garlic
olive oil
Instructions
You can roast several garlic bulbs at once. I usually roast at least 3, so I have extra on hand. It is important to choose firm bulbs.
With a sharp knife, cut off the top of the bulb, exposing most of the cloves. Don’t worry if there are cloves that are still tucked into the bulb. They will roast and be wonderful too.
Place the bulb(s) on a piece of foil large enough to envelope the bulbs completely with a little extra room at the top.
Drizzle the exposed cloves with a bit of olive oil.
Fold the foil around the bulbs and pinch to seal, leaving a little space between the top of the bulbs and the foil.
Cook in a 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. As I said in the video, the garlic takes up little space in the oven and can easily cook along side something else you are preparing. If you are baking at 375, the garlic will roast perfectly with just a little more time. I do this ALL THE TIME.
Unfold the foil and enjoy the smell. As soon as the garlic is cool enough to handle, it is ready to go! You can squeeze the inverted bulb or ease the cloves out with a knife or small spoon.
Unused bulbs can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. I usually place them in a ziplock bag or sealed container.
Notes
A note about aluminum foil. I have read enough studies and opinions to give me a measure of caution with aluminum exposure. I avoid having the foil be in direct contact with the food I will consume. The garlic is protected by layers of skin. This is why I leave some room above the exposed cloves. I figure it is an easy enough way to avoid a potential health risk and I want to share that with you for whatever it is worth to you. If you are reading this, I consider you a guest at my table. <3
Georgia is an unpretentious foodie who, at 50, transitioned from a vegetarian diet to a whole foods plant based diet and is loving it. She works as a nurse, plays as a quilter, loves to run, hates to race.
She thinks dogs are actually angels (in dog suits).
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