Roasted Garlic Soup with Parmesan Croutons
By Matthew FairmanPublished on March 5, 2024
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Five to six heads of garlic will yield 60 cloves. You can also use prepeeled garlic, if preferred. If you do, look for prepeeled garlic in transparent packaging so that you can make sure it looks fresh. You can substitute any crusty bread (such as baguette or ciabatta) for the sourdough.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine garlic, 6 tablespoons oil, and 3 thyme sprigs in small ovensafe saucepan or 8-inch square baking dish. Cover; transfer to oven; and roast until garlic is tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through roasting. Transfer saucepan to wire rack; discard thyme sprigs.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 10 to 14 minutes. Stir in broth, Parmesan rind, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and remaining 6 thyme sprigs and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs and Parmesan rind.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer roasted garlic to broth mixture; reserve garlic oil in small saucepan. Stir ¾ cup bread cubes into broth mixture until thoroughly submerged. Working in batches (and filling blender about halfway in each batch), process soup in blender until very smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes per batch; transfer to large bowl. Return soup to now-empty pot and cover to keep warm. (Soup can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray parchment lightly with vegetable oil spray. Toss remaining 4½ cups bread cubes with 3 tablespoons reserved garlic oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add grated Parmesan and toss gently to combine.
- Arrange bread mixture in single, compact layer on prepared sheet. Bake until croutons are browned and crisp on bottoms and Parmesan has melted and turned golden, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. (Croutons and remaining garlic oil can be stored in separate airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
- Rewarm soup over low heat as needed. Serve, topping individual portions with croutons, reserved garlic oil, and dill.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted a pantry-friendly soup full of roasted, sweet garlic flavor with none of the potentially raw, harsh, or bitter flavors that using lots of this pungent allium can sometimes introduce. To get there, we roasted a whopping 60 cloves of garlic in about ½ cup of olive oil in a covered small saucepan for 45 minutes, after which the garlic emerged golden brown, supertender, and mellow. For a soup with a smooth, luxurious texture, we pureed all that roasted garlic into a mixture of sautéed onion, chicken broth, and thyme along with ¾ cup of cubed sourdough bread. The bread transformed the texture of the brothy soup, making it silky and velvety without adding any heaviness or competing flavors that could distract from the focus on roasted garlic. Finally, we tossed some more bread cubes with some of the reserved garlic oil and grated Parmesan cheese and baked them into irresistible crispy garlic-Parmesan croutons to top off the delectable soup.
Before You Begin
Five to six heads of garlic will yield 60 cloves. You can also use prepeeled garlic, if preferred. If you do, look for prepeeled garlic in transparent packaging so that you can make sure it looks fresh. You can substitute any crusty bread (such as baguette or ciabatta) for the sourdough.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine garlic, 6 tablespoons oil, and 3 thyme sprigs in small ovensafe saucepan or 8-inch square baking dish. Cover; transfer to oven; and roast until garlic is tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through roasting. Transfer saucepan to wire rack; discard thyme sprigs.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 10 to 14 minutes. Stir in broth, Parmesan rind, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and remaining 6 thyme sprigs and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs and Parmesan rind.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer roasted garlic to broth mixture; reserve garlic oil in small saucepan. Stir ¾ cup bread cubes into broth mixture until thoroughly submerged. Working in batches (and filling blender about halfway in each batch), process soup in blender until very smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes per batch; transfer to large bowl. Return soup to now-empty pot and cover to keep warm. (Soup can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray parchment lightly with vegetable oil spray. Toss remaining 4½ cups bread cubes with 3 tablespoons reserved garlic oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Add grated Parmesan and toss gently to combine.
- Arrange bread mixture in single, compact layer on prepared sheet. Bake until croutons are browned and crisp on bottoms and Parmesan has melted and turned golden, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. (Croutons and remaining garlic oil can be stored in separate airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
- Rewarm soup over low heat as needed. Serve, topping individual portions with croutons, reserved garlic oil, and dill.
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