Roasted Garlic Soup Recipe + Health Benefits of Garlic

Raise your hand if you love garlic! Me too!!! This soup hit my craving for some warm, fall-like comfort food this weekend. November is here and the mornings are starting to feel a little chilly with the marine layer leaving the grass cool with morning dew. This is as close as we get to fall here in So Cal. Now, while some people shy away from garlic due to the inevitable “garlic breath” see the bottom of this recipe for ways to neutralize the offending aftermath. *Hint, one of the solutions is in the picture ;)

Roasted Garlic Soup Recipe

20-30 whole, peeled garlic cloves

4 slices of bacon (optional)

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or rosemary (or a combo of both!)

3 1/2 cups chicken broth (vegetable stock to make vegetarian)

1 cup full fat coconut milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss garlic cloves in olive oil until well coated, spread evenly on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast garlic for 40 minutes, shaking the baking sheet halfway to prevent burning, until garlic is golden brown and tender.

While garlic is roasting, cook the bacon in a heavy, large saucepan until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside, reserving approximately 1 tbs of grease. Add onions and fresh herbs and cook in bacon grease until translucent. If not using bacon, melt butter in the saucepan over med-high heat. Add onions and fresh herbs and cook until onions translucent.

Add roasted garlic to saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant and happy. Add chicken broth; cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Garlic should be very tender. Using an immersion blender or Vitamix/Ninja, puree soup until smooth. You may need to work in batches. Return soup to saucepan and add the coconut milk and simmer. Add cayenne, salt, pepper to taste.

To serve: top each bowl of soup with a little bit of crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Note: This soup can be prepared the day before (I actually prefer the flavors better the next day). To reheat, warm on the stove in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Why Roast the Garlic?

While raw garlic can be a bit pungent, roasting garlic brings out its unique flavor while softening the in-your-face harshness. Roasting garlic creates a creamy texture, which is easily spread on toast or pureed into soups and sauces (see my recipe for garlic soup, link in bio). Many people prefer the mild, buttery flavor profile of roasted garlic over its raw state. Garlic is loaded with vitamins B1, B6, and C. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. I don’t recommend roasting whole bulbs in aluminum foil due to the risk of aluminum transferring into the garlic and being consumed. Reports on this transfer during cooking are controversial, but I prefer to be safer than sorry. The number of reports linking aluminum with disease are staggering (think Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, autism, etc.). Cooking with it is not necessary so just skip it :)

Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is one of those amazing, immune system supporting herbs. It has a direct impact on bacteria and viruses, just like our own immune cells, or like antibiotics do. Garlic’s role as an antimicrobial has been well documented and has been effectively used for centuries. Studies have even compared garlic against prescription antibiotics to see which was more effective, and garlic had come up looking just as good as penicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline in some studies. Garlic also has some anti-cancer functions, though research is not as well defined, but it’s ability to neutralize oxygen radicals in the tissue is promising. Garlic also helps to stimulate liver and colon detoxification and aids in reducing both blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Consuming garlic is the best way to absorb all of the beneficial properties. If you do choose to supplement, I recommend you avoid the odorless versions -many naturalists and scientists believe that this is not as beneficial as fresh garlic.

Ways to Neutralize “Garlic Breath” Naturally

Add a Parsley Salad- Not just a garnish, parsley is excellent in salads or by itself. It cleanses the palate and masks unpleasant odors. For a light and delicious salad - add to mixed greens and toss with olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and some cracked fresh pepper.

Eat a Raw Apple - Excellent for dessert or for breakfast the morning after, it is a natural deodorant to the bad-breath causing sulfides in garlic

Drink Lemon Water - And go heavy on the lemon! The acid in lemon juice neutralizes alliinase, an odor producing enzyme found in garlic.