Roasted garlic is creamy, sweet, and spreadable. We love eating the cloves whole alongside dinner (roasted chicken is one of our favorites). You can also mash it into butter, spread it on toast, and add it to soups and sauces. I also love it when making roasted garlic bread.
Key Ingredients
Garlic: I roast whole heads of garlic and usually roast 3 or more at a time. Olive oil: Keeps our garlic from drying out as it roasts in the oven. Salt and pepper: Seasons the garlic and make it taste even more amazing. Fresh thyme: This is optional, but wrapping some fresh herbs with your garlic is a great way to add more flavor.
How to Roast Garlic
I roast whole heads of garlic in a 400°F oven for 40 to 70 minutes. You’ll know when it is ready to come out of the oven when it’s soft, spreadable, and looks caramelized. To prepare garlic for roasting, I cut the top off the garlic to expose the cloves inside (I cut the opposite side of the root end). Then, I generously season the cut side with salt and pepper and drizzle over olive oil. To prevent the garlic from drying out, roast it in little packets. In our photos, we’ve used parchment paper and kitchen twine to make the packets, but foil works, too. Remember that you can sneak some fresh herbs into the packet to infuse more flavor into the garlic as it roasts.
Ways to Use Roasted Garlic
Roasted garlic’s sweet, mellow flavor makes it perfect for many dishes. Mash and stir it into mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, softened butter, sauces, and dressings (like homemade ranch). Serve roasted garlic at your holiday table next to roasted turkey, or mash and stir into gravy. I also love using roasted garlic to make this roasted garlic bread (it’s incredible) and mashing it into this easy olive oil dip. Or swap fresh garlic for roasted garlic in this hummus or garlic aioli. 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper 3 sprigs fresh thyme, optional 2Remove loose outer skin from garlic heads, but leave enough for the head to stay intact. Then, cut 1/4-inch off the top of each head (opposite the root end) to expose the cloves. 3Place a garlic head, cut side up, in the center of each parchment/foil square. Make a small ring of thyme around the base of each garlic head. Drizzle garlic with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. 4Bring the parchment/foil sides up to enclose the garlic, creating a sealed packet. (Secure parchment packets with kitchen twine.) 5Place garlic packets on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 70 minutes or until cloves are light brown and soft.
