I recommend using it because it gives such a nice flavor to the soup, and it's really easy to roast garlic. However, you could omit it or use 1-2 cloves of minced garlic. You would want to sauté the garlic for a minute or two, and you can do that in the blender or in your pot. Here is my technique for roasting garlic: Roasted Garlic in the Ninja Foodi