With this Oven Roasted Garlic recipe, turn a simple bulb of garlic into a cooking masterpiece that will enhance the flavor of any dish that uses garlic as an aromatic.
Tired of cleaning out that garlic press? Well no more! Garlic can be ready to add to all kinds of dishes, without the messy business of peeling and pressing the garlic. How? Follow the instructions below to learn how to roast an entire garlic bulb in the oven until it is soft, caramelized and ready to use in a variety of recipes. And the leftovers are perfect for freezing for future dishes.
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Amazing Oven Roasted Garlic!
- I used a terra cotta garlic roaster for 25 years to cook garlic. It was a simple, classic and loved kitchen piece used frequently, until it cracked and broke. While I still love that baker, I have found a casserole dish and tin foil works well too.
- Garlic is a healthy aromatic that enhances the flavor of many dishes. With this recipe, the cooking time enhances the sweetness of the garlic and makes it slightly caramelized. Sounds hard to resist, doesn’t it?
- Cook multiple bulbs at once and store the extras in the freezer for future dishes.
Ingredients & Variations
GARLIC: Purchase garlic bulbs that are firm, and make sure that they are not too dry or too soft. If there are little green sprouts on the end, the garlic may be old. During the summer months, check out the farmer’s markets for fresh bulbs of garlic. Like other aromatics, such as onions, garlic has a stronger and deeper flavor when it is fresh.
VARIATIONS: Replace the olive oil with butter.
How to Roast Garlic in the Oven
Oven roasted garlic will enhance the flavor of so many dishes! Why not give it a try?
- Cut the top off the bulb and discard the loose skins.
- Place garlic, cut side up, in the baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil.
- Cover with a lid or tin foil.
- Bake (as per the recipe below).
Recipes With Roasted Garlic
Now that the garlic has finished roasting and the individual cloves are ready to be squeezed out of the bulb, what to do with it?
- Try making a lemon roasted garlic sauce. Just squeeze out the whole head of garlic, mash with a fork, add 1 tablespoon of lemon, salt, and pepper. Mix. This is great added to baked chicken.
- Add some of the roasted cloves to Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, Rosemary Potatoes, Simple Parmesan Pasta With Lemon, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Oven Roasted Asparagus or Lemon Garlic Aioli.
- Another delish idea is to make garlic toast! Slice a baguette, butter each piece, add spread the soft, roasted garlic on top. Then wrap the loaf in tinfoil and bake. Or simply mash some roasted garlic into some softened butter, and spread it on toasted bread or crostini. Fabulous!
Storing Roasted Garlic
First and foremost don’t leave cooked garlic out at room temperature. Garlic can easily grow dangerous bacteria. So make sure not to eat garlic that smells off or is brown.
Refrigeration: Place the whole cooked bulb in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Another idea is to submerge the bulb in olive oil and refrigerate for about a week. The oil will absorb the flavors of the garlic and is superb to use in recipes.
Freezing: Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb onto a clean plate. Place the cloves on a pan lined with parchment and place them in the freezer. Once they are completely frozen, put them in a freezer bag or container. Another option is to remove the cloves from the bulb and mash them. Drop the mashed pieces into some ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove from trays, place in a freezer bag and return to the freezer. Or finally, and most simply, just freeze the whole bulb in a bag.
Recipes That Use Garlic!
- Smoked Garlic – another easy way to prepare garlic.
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken – just 20 minute prep.
- Garlic Hummus Recipe – delicious with roasted garlic.
- Quick Easy Meatloaf – a favorite entree.
Oven Roasted Garlic
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bulbs garlic*
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or butter, plus more to baste if desired
- ⅛ teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Line a small casserole dish or baking tray with parchment paper.
- Trim off the top of each bulb of garlic by cutting straight across the top, exposing the bulbs. If necessary, finely trim the bottom of each bulb so it sits flat. Discard loose skins and puncture the bulbs with a fork (about 10-15 spots each).
- Place garlic in the baking dish and sprinkle each bulb with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Season with salt if desired.
- Cover with a lid or with foil paper. Bake for 2 hours, basting with oil several times (not critical!).
- To remove garlic, squeeze or use a fork to pop the cloves out.
- Serve warm as a spread on bread or crackers, or use in recipes.
Notes
- *You can roast as many bulbs as you’d like at one time.
- If the dish is crowded, it may take a little longer to roast.
- It’s worth it to make a lot at once, and freeze for future use!
- Garlic can also be roasted at a higher temperature of 425˚F for 30-60 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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