This is a delicious and easy stinging nettle soup recipe using fresh wild nettles, potato, cauliflower and broccoli, finished with a little cream and crispy bacon (optional).
Soup With Fresh Stinging Nettle
This stinging nettle soup is a lovely blend of hearty and nutritious, with a wild twist! Stinging nettles, often considered a pesky weed, are packed with vitamins A, C, D, iron, potassium, and calcium. They have a slightly earthy flavour, similar to spinach, making them a perfect base for a creamy, comforting soup.
Combined with crispy bacon, this soup not only warms you up but also provides a delicious contrast between the velvety texture of the nettles and the crunchy bacon bits.
This recipe is gluten-free and can be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon (you can add some pan-fried mushrooms or chickpeas) and vegan (use coconut cream and dairy-free butter alternative).
Using Stinging Nettle
Foraging stinging nettles in the wild is both fun and rewarding, but timing and technique are key.
Nettles are best picked in the spring when the leaves are young and tender. Look for nettles in areas away from pollution, like parks or forests. Make sure to wear gloves to avoid the sting, and use scissors to snip the top few inches of the plant, which are the most flavourful. Always pick sustainably, leaving plenty behind to grow and support the ecosystem. At the first sign of flowering, stop collecting as the plant will now start producing cystoliths, which are a bit toxic.
Once harvested, a quick blanch will remove their sting, making them safe and ready to use in your culinary creations. Fresh nettle can be used in tea, wilted with butter and pepper, and added to stews, soups and stuffing.
Serving Suggestions
Stinging nettle soup is versatile and pairs wonderfully with a variety of sides. Serve it with a slice of crusty sourdough bread or a fresh baguette to soak up the creamy goodness. A light, crisp salad with a tangy vinaigrette can provide a refreshing contrast, while a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or a dollop of sour cream on top of the soup adds an extra layer of richness.
For a heartier meal, pair it with a savoury quiche or a grilled cheese sandwich.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tsp butter or dairy-free alternative
- 1 medium onion diced finely
- 1 large white potato large, diced, or 1 sweet potato
- 1/3 head cauliflower medium head, broken up into florets
- 1/2 head broccoli medium head, broken up into florets
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tsp lemon zest About 1 lemon
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 2/3 tsp black pepper
- 4-5 cups stinging nettle leaves a bunch of 7-8 large stems with leaves
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme remove and use leaves only, a teaspoon of dry thyme can be used instead
At the end
- 2 tbsp lemon juice About 1 lemon
- 4 rashers bacon diced
- 1/2 cup cream or coconut cream for dairy-free version
- Some edible flowers and lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a dollop of butter in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir a few times.
- Then add the diced potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli and sauté together for 2 more minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients for the soup: garlic, lemon zest, bay leaf (optional), vegetable stock, mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes until all vegetables are soft.
- In the meantime, boil some water and pour it over the stinging nettles in a sink. This will take most of the sting off. Using scissors, cut off the leaves, rinse and set aside. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the nettle leaves to the soup and cook for 1-2 minutes, until wilted.
- Purée the soup in batches until smooth. You can use a food processor, a blender or an immersion stick.
- To finish the soup, add lemon juice, cream and fresh thyme. Stir over low heat for a minute to reheat and taste for salt. Set aside off the heat to settle.
- If using, pan fry the bacon until crisp and add to the soup when serving.
Notes
Storage tips
- Refrigeration: Let the soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. If the soup thickens too much in the fridge, just add a splash of water or broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Freezing: This soup freezes well! Once cooled, pour it into freezer-safe containers, leaving some room for expansion. You can also use freezer bags laid flat for more space-efficient storage. Label the containers with the date, and use within 2-3 months for the best quality. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Crispy Bacon: To keep the bacon crispy, store it separately from the soup. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to serve, re-crisp the bacon in a hot skillet for a few minutes before sprinkling it over the reheated soup.
Nutrition
More Green Soup Recipes
About Foraging
Foraging for and cooking with wild edibles has lots of nutritional and environmental benefits and provides a way of connecting with the land. Depending on the area, some of the more common wild edibles include nettle, dandelion, sorrel, marigold flowers, violets, horseradish, blackberry, crab apple, fennel, wild garlic, chestnuts, finger lime, lemon myrtle, figs, elderflower, kakadu plum, ironbark, yams and rosehips.
It is crucial that you learn to identify the edible plants, berries, fruit and mushrooms before you go foraging in your local park or in the bush. Many plants, and especially mushrooms, can look alike so it’s important that you start out by foraging with an experienced guide and that you check the mushrooms with the local rangers before taking them home. Be aware of safety as some plants can be poisonous or can cause an allergic reaction.
Remember to treat wild plants with respect as they may be rare or needed to feed the local wildlife. There are many fantastic guide books and online resources and you can search for a local foraging group on websites like Meetup.com, or look for an organized wild foraging tours. Alternatively, you can often find wild edibles at your local farmers markets and specialty grocers.
Have you ever cooked with wild edibles like stinging nettle? Give it a go and let me know what you think.
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