Roasted garlic pasta sauce + Top 4 health benefits of allium vegetables

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Last Updated on March 13, 2020

Do you love garlic like I do? Then you'll be thrilled to test out my roasted garlic pasta sauce recipe. I've always wanted to create a clean eating pasta dish with tons of garlic in it.

Today I'll give you not only a super flavorful recipe inspiration but also at least four reasons to include this allium vegetable more frequently in your nutrition.

roasted garlic avocado spaghetti

If everyone eats it, no one will be bothered…

I'm so grateful for the many privileges I enjoy through the fact that I'm allowed to work from home. One of the many advantages of my home office is that I can eat garlic loaded meals without the risk to cause consternation in any office space.

Rule of the thumb for my family: If everyone eats garlic, no one will be bothered by the smell. And yet, when I'm cooking for my family and not only for me, I try to serve very garlicky meals only on weekends.

How to reduce bad breath

You might have already experienced, that roasted or boiled whole garlic won't produce as strong odors as raw chopped veggies. So, if the thought of a bad garlic breath is standing between this delicious dish and you, then rest assured that the roasting process in the oven will reduce the possible bad breath to a tolerable level. Another great way to reduce garlic breath is to eat some fresh parsley.

A long family tradition

One first cooking step I remember from my early childhood was, that my mother sweat some onions and garlic in a bit of oil before adding other ingredients. This cooking step was part of the majority of her recipes I recall.

When analyzing my cooking habits nowadays, then sweating onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil or water is the first cooking step many of my clean eating recipes have in common.

My father's snacking habit

Of course I learned already as kid how healthy this allium vegetable really is. My father worked as brick layer foreman and I remember that he always had raw garlic cloves in his lunch box. Eating raw cloves seemed to be a popular snacking habit between him and his workmates. And even nowadays (he is happily turning eighty in a couple of months) snacking garlic cloves is a beloved habit of him. By the way for general health maintenance, even the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends one clove of garlic a day.

But the scientific proof how extremely healthy garlic really is, I only researched recently. Read about its amazing health benefits at the end of this blog post. It will blow you away.

roasted garlic spaghetti

Easy roasted garlic and oil pasta with one little catch

One little warning before we jump right into the recipe. While it is an easy dish you will need some time to prepare it as is not a quick clean eating recipe you are used from me. But I feel investing the time for this meal is worth it.

Roasting the vegetable head in the oven will take you 35-40 minutes. Altogether you'll need at least 1 hour (if you are quick!) to prepare this yummy recipe. But the good news is, that the ingredient list is not too long and that the preparation steps themselves are easy to manage.

How to roast garlic in the oven

how to roast garlic

  • Preheat oven to 400 °F/200 °C
  • Cut the top of 3 garlic heads, drizzle with pinch of salt and olive oil.
  • Wrap garlic in aluminum foil and place each head in a muffin tin or on a small baking sheet.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes until tender and soft.
  • Take it from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Print

Whole grain spaghetti with roasted garlic pasta sauce

For a delicious and flavorful pasta meal

  • Author: Gabi Rupp
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 75

Ingredients

Scale
  • 23 whole garlic heads, roasted
  • Flesh of 1 avocado, dripped with some lemo juice
  • 1 pound whole grain spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 23 freshly chopped basil, parsley (or both)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Additional salt and ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Squeeze roasted and cooled garlic out of cloves.
  2. Mash it with a fork together with avocado meat.
  3. In the meanwhile cook whole grain spaghetti according to the directions.
  4. Drain the pasta but reserve 1/2 cup of drained pasta water and set aside.
  5. Heat olive oil in same pot over medium heat.
  6. Add roasted garlic avocado mixture, cooked whole grain spaghetti and 1/2 cup of pasta water and combine until all is well mixed and heated through.
  7. Taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Garnish with basil or parsley.

Notes

  • You can roast it in advance to save some time

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

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Top 4 health benefits of garlic

More than 5,000 studies have shown the antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anti-carcinogenic effect of garlic and its positive impact on our health. It is assumed that in particular, heart diseases, strokes, cancer and various infections can be prevented and in part improved by the regular consumption of garlic:

  • Allium plants are said to have a particularly positive effect on cancer cells thanks to their sulphureous components (Allicin). Allicin attaches exclusively to cancer cells, penetrates and destroys them, while leaving the healthy cells intact. While the anti-cancer effect of garlic has been confirmed in numerous scientific studies, the most exciting study published in 2009. Scientists researched the antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of common vegetables. More about this study in a minute.
  • It is believed that deposits in the arteries can be reversed through the targeted use of garlic extract, thus preventing the progression of heart diseases. (1)
  • Thanks to its germicidal properties, allicin in garlic can also prevent diseases in cold winter months. Studies show that all those who consume garlic or an extract of it for several weeks are far less susceptible to infections than those who don't do so.(2)
  • Allium vegetables not only promote blood circulation, but also help to regulate blood sugar levels, which may eventually have a positive effect on all those with diabetes.

Anti-cancer vegetable number 1

In 2009 an impressive study was published in the journal of “Food Chemistry”.(3) Scientists checked the effect of 34 common vegetables against 8 different types of human cancers: brain tumors, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, childhood brain tumors, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and stomach cancer. The scientists dripped vegetable juice on different kind of cancer cells in a petri dish and checked the impact of each one of the veggies.

The study revealed one clear winner: Garlic was number 1, followed by leek (number 2). Garlic was the one vegetable that completely stopped cancer growth in 7 out of 8 tumors. In this context I highly recommend to watch Dr. Michael Greger's fascinating video, which refers to this study.

A smart way to implement garlic into your life

This roasted garlic avocado spaghetti recipe offers one delicious way to eat more garlic. Hopefully garlic's huge health benefits + this tasty recipe can inspire you to implement it more often in your healthy nutrition.

 

 

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