As many of you know, I happen to have a small obsession with roasted garlic. And soups. But strangely enough, it wasn’t until this year that I finally decided to try the infamous “44-Clove Garlic Soup” that has made its way around the blogosphere.
Now I have absolutely no idea why I waited. This soup is amazing!
I actually made it for the first time a few weeks ago during Snowmageddon (the crazy blizzard of ’11). It seems like the perfect recipe for a cozy winter day, and I loved the thought of my entire house smelling like that delicious roasted garlic. So I bought an extra few heads of garlic and some fresh thyme the day before the storm hit (an ominous day, thanks to weather forecasting!), pulled up the long-ago bookmarked recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and began cooking as the first flakes began to fall.
Not surprisingly, the soup ended up being a complete delight! I had read other bloggers urgings not to fear the big “44”, but I admit I was still expecting a pretty strong garlic flavor. Not so! I thought this soup was perfectly balanced. The roasted (and cooked) garlic was a subtle but wonderful compliment to the creamy broth, and I loved the simple combination of thyme, Parmesan and a dash of lemon. I also added in some shredded rotisserie chicken at the last minute, which I will definitely do again. I may also experiment with shallots or leeks the next time around instead of onions.
So with that, I cast one more vote into the blogosphere for this delightful soup. I will certainly be making it again soon. :)
44-clove garlic (and chicken) soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A delicious creamy garlic soup recipe filled with the most amazing subtle flavor.
Ingredients
- 26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) butter
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 18 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
- salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 4 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.
- Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add shredded chicken and cream, and bring to simmer. Season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
- Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.
Notes
Instead of dividing out the 26 cloves for the first step, I just roasted 3 whole heads of garlic via this method. Once the heads were roasted, I just squeezed out the garlic and continued with the remainder of the recipe.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit and Smitten Kitchen
Ali’s Tip:
Instead of dividing out the 26 cloves for the first step, I just roasted 3 whole heads of garlic via this method. Once the heads were roasted, I just squeezed out the garlic and continued with the remainder of the recipe.
I made this tonight and WOW it was amazing! My kids always make fun of the amount of garlic I use. Tonight really gave them something to tease me about, but they loved it! Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
OMG – this is right up my alley. I am known as the “Garlic Queen” around family and friends and was actually a finalist in the Gilroy Garlic Festival Cook-Off. I can’t wait to try this!!!
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I love this soup!
I make a slight variation where I add chicken bones to the stock and cannelloni beans, carrot, corn, and pumpkin just for more vegetable matter. My friends love both versions equally :)
Made this soup last night and it was delicious! Its beautiful and smells great! I substituted a potato instead of the cream to make it more healthy.
Great idea! Could also be rice or oatmeal to thicken. Or coconut milk.
Looks amazing and with it being colder, it is definitely on my top things to make! We eat lots of soup in the winter months – it so warming and comforting. This looks like a good one with chicken so it will be nice and filling at the same time!
This is the perfect soup for the cold and flue season! Garlic is a natural antibiotic and helps build the immune system…what a great way to eat healthy and enjoy it!!….Thanks so much!!
AMAZING, my oh my what a beeeeautiful soup. Turned out perfect, will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, this looks amazing! I just started my own blog and yours has provided much inspiration!
Roasted whole garlic has such a wonderful sweet taste. This will be an oven meal with some asparagus–roast it too. I have a few baby artichokes left from an ATL market and they are good too with this chicken.