Ingredients
- For The Roasted Garlic:
- 3 full bulbs of garlic, fully in tact with the tops sliced off of each (these are not to be confused with cloves – bulbs are made up of about 10-20 cloves each)
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (divided into 1 tbsp per bulb)
- For The Garlic Bread Croutons:
- 12 ″ loaf of Italian or French bread, sliced in half longways
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter, melted (30 seconds in the microwave will do it)
- 1/4 tsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon
- 1 tsp of grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning
- For The Soup:
- 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) of salted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 oz of diced prosciutto or pancetta or bacon (optional, but if using, I strongly suggest the diced prosciutto as it adds sensational flavor)
- 1.5 lbs of Idaho/Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
- 3 cups of Garlic Broth (I used 1 tbsp of Garlic Better Than Bouillon + 3 cups of water)
- 3 cups of Chicken Broth (I used 1 tbsp of Chicken Better Than Bouillon + 3 cups of water)
- 1/2 cup of a dry white wine (like a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or white cooking wine is fine too)
- Juice of half a lemon (or 1 tbsp of lemon juice)
- 1 tsp of dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- Sliced chives, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees
Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot, lay in the trivet and rest the 3 garlic bulbs on it, sliced side facing-up. Secure the lid and hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 5 minutes. When done, allow a 10 minute natural release followed by a quick release and hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button when done
While the garlic’s cooking, make the garlic bread by combining the melted butter, Garlic Better Than Bouillon, Parmesan and Italian seasoning. Place the bread on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush the garlic butter mixture onto the bread
Next, take the garlic bulbs from the Instant Pot and place on the same baking sheet with the bread and drizzle in 1 tbsp of olive oil per bulb, allowing the oil to seep into every nook and cranny of each bulb. Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 5-10 minutes on a rack level about 3/4 of the height the oven (higher than the middle but not the top rack because the bread will want to burn). Once the surface of the bread is toasty to the look and touch and the garlic is nice and browned (but neither should be burned), it will be done and ready to take out of the oven (Note: all ovens vary so keep an eye on it, but mine was perfect in 8 minutes). Allow them to cool
Go back to the Instant Pot and after removing the trivet, dumping the water and drying it off, hit “Sauté” and “Adjust” so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Add the butter and once melted and bubbling, add the onion and let cook for 2-3 minutes and then add in the diced prosciutto and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the liner pot from the Instant Pot to avoid burning while we focus on our garlic
By now, the garlic should be relatively cool to the touch. Take each bulb and clove of garlic and squeeze the garlic meat into a bowl (it will pop right out and be almost paste-like – fascinating!). Discard any of the skin from the garlic as we only want to reserve the garlic meat (your hands will get messy from this, but that means you’re doing a good job!)
Return the liner pot to the Instant Pot, deglaze (scrape) the bottom to get up any stuck-on prosciutto grease and add in the garlic broth, chicken broth, lemon juice, white wine, potatoes, roasted garlic, dried thyme and black pepper. Secure the lid, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done
While the soup’s cooking, cut the now cooled and toasted garlic bread into 1″ cubes (it should be toasty on the outside and softer on the inside – PERFECT for sopping up the soup!)
When the lid comes off the pot, take an immersion blender and blend everything until puréed. Add in the Parmesan and heavy cream and purée once more
Ladle into bowls, add in desired amount of garlic bread croutons and sprinkle on some chives for garnish