Take Lemon Garlic Sauce To Another Level With Just One Extra Step

You might combine lemon juice and garlic to make a pasta sauce for dinner or to whip up an aioli to dip fries in. The two ingredients offer a classic flavor pairing thanks to the savory umami in the garlic and the fresh acidity from the lemon juice. Whether you're craving a fresh pasta sauce or a condiment, it's worth taking the extra time to roast the garlic, lemon, or both to amplify their flavors even more.

When you roast these ingredients, the high temperature heats the sugars and brings out deeper, richer flavors. There are many simple ways to amplify the flavors of roasted garlic, which makes this technique popular for garlic bread and sauces. Roasted lemon might not be quite as trendy, but its sugars also caramelize during the cooking process and enhance the citrusy sweetness. It's partly why roast chicken often includes lemons for extra flavor. Besides improving taste, roasting these ingredients will also soften them, which makes it easier to blend them up for the sauce of your choice.

It's easy to roast garlic for maximum flavor, and you can follow our simple oven-roasted garlic recipe to make it happen. It will require about 45 minutes in your oven set at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the same temperature required to roast lemons. Considering both ingredients require the same temperature and similar cooking times, do yourself a favor and roast both ingredients at the once. You might want to remove the lemons early, however, because the citrus only needs about 30 minutes in the oven to achieve those flavors; you don't want burnt lemon or for the flavorful juices to seep out. 

Now, it's time to turn the roasted garlic and lemon into a sauce. Any recipe that uses the two ingredients can benefit from roasting, but we have a couple of ideas to try out. Make our homemade garlic aioli, which uses both garlic and lemon, to spread on sandwiches or use as a dip for fries or veggies. And if you crave pasta instead, elevate this lemon spaghetti recipe using your new roasting technique.