Garlic is one of the most commonly used ways to add flavors to the foods we cook. It’s found in the cuisine of every culture around the world. While it has plenty of wonderful health benefit raw, most people find it to be a bit too sharp, spicy and pungent all on its own. When it’s cooked in sauces, soups, marinades and anything else we make, it becomes a lot easier to digest.

Using garlic in your recipes isn’t anything new, but if you really want to add another dimension of flavor to your cooking game, try roasting garlic first before adding it to your favorite dishes. Roasted garlic tends to be sweeter and it’s also easier for your body to digest. Plus, it has more health potential from cardiovascular benefit to boosting immunity.

Sure, it adds an extra step to your dishes, but you can make a batch of roasted garlic ahead of time and store it for later use. That way, it’s ready to go when you are. Add it to your favorite dishes to give them a new-yet-familiar flavor or simply smear roasted garlic onto bread and toast. Once roasted, it’s soft and almost creamy in texture.

It’s so easy to do to! All you need to do is preheat your oven to 400°F. While it heats up, get busy peeling off the papery layers of whole bulbs of garlic, as many as you’d like to roast at a time. For your first time, perhaps start out with just a few to see how you like it. At the tops of the cloves, use a sharp knife to cut about 1/4-inch off to expose the individual cloves within.

Place them cut-side-up in a muffin tin to keep them from rolling around. Then drizzle a good quality extra virgin olive oil on top of each bulb, massaging it in with your fingers. Cover the tin with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. They’re ready when the cloves feel soft like butter.

You can most certainly enjoy it hot with a loaf of crusty bread, though you should allow it to cool down so you don’t burn your fingers or your mouth. It’s also fine to enjoy once it has completely cooled. You can store it in your refrigerator to use in your recipes, though it may not last that long because roasted garlic is incredibly delicious, and addictive.

It’s a better alternative to smearing butter on bread and adds an extra element of spice to cheese plates. You’re bound to find countless uses for roasted garlic in your kitchen. Give it a try tonight!