This simple, flavorful Oven-Roasted Garlic Spears recipe [i.e., garlic scapes] takes less than 10 minutes to throw together and makes a fresh, tasty side dish for any spring or summer meal.
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Garlic Spears – also known as “garlic scapes” – are the flower tops of the elephant garlic plant. They available for a few fleeting weeks in the spring and early summer at your grocery or local farmers market. They make a beautiful presentation and a tasty addition to your table.
I have to admit that, until recently, garlic spears were new to me. How I missed out on them until then, I’ll never know, but before I even tasted them, I was hooked! In fact, when we brought this bunch home, I took ten times more pictures of them than I needed – look how beautiful they are!
Garlic spears can be eaten raw or cooked. When raw, they carry a pretty hot punch, and can be used to spice up things like baked potatoes or salads.
Garlic scapes can also be steamed, lightly sautéed, or roasted. They have a very mild garlic flavor that mellows the longer they are cooked, and can be served alone, chopped into pasta or casseroles, or pureed into soup, sauce, pesto, or hummus.
We chose to keep things simple and simply oven-roast them. The results were wonderful; far beyond our expectations!
TIP: I used an amazing Meyer lemon olive oil, which (while definitely not a requirement here) enhanced the flavors even more. The flavor was only the slightest bit garlicky: they tasted somewhat like asparagus, but closer to an artichoke. (I don’t like asparagus much, and I loved these, if that helps any.)
Oven-Roasted Garlic Spears
Ingredients
- 1 pound Garlic Spears (i.e., garlic scapes)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Fresh lemon Juice
Instructions
- Cut off the ends of the garlic scapes.
- Toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.Lay out in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet.
- Roast in a 375° oven for 30-35 minutes, until the tips are lightly browned and the stalk is tender. Toss garlic scapes midway through roasting time if desired.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Looking for a tasty side dish? Try one of these delicious recipes:
- Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous
- Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Almonds
- Sweet Yellow Saffron Rice
- Garlic Roasted Baby Squashes
- Cashew Asparagus Pilaf
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I am Now envisioning Myself Smearing These Tasted Garlic spears on Fresh French Bread. Wow These look delicious Can Wait to make these!
Garlic spears on fresh french bread sounds fabulous!
I’ve always wondered what to do with garlic spears – These sound fabulous!
I’ve never tried these either, but I definitely want to now! I bet they’d be wonderful grilled on the BBQ too.
Such a creative way to use these! Thanks for sharing!