Stinging Nettle Soup with wild garlic and potato, a creamy and comforting homemade Spring soup full of nature's goodness. If you like foraging and making the most of the Spring produce that is widely available in the wild, and costs no money at all, this delicious soup is a guaranteed winner.
Spring is the time when nature awakens from its long hibernation. It's also the best time to enjoy the fresh produce after the Winter months. And with the warmer days, and nature walks you come to discover so much beauty around.
Nettles might be considered some pesky weeds by some, but having grown up in rural Romania, where nettle dip or soup are one of the most popular Spring dishes you can enjoy, I absolutely love this unrrated plant.
And this cream of nettle soup has to be one of the cheapest and most wholesome soup you can come up with - plus it's really quick to make, and it tastes amazing!
The tricky bit is indeed picking the nettles up, there is a good reason why they are called stinging nettles - they do sting! I find that the best way to pick them up is using garden gloves, guaranteed no stinging whatsoever!
You don't need the whole plant for this soup, just the top leaves, the smaller, the better, as nettles grow old, the leaves grow bigger and they aren't as tasty. And ideally, try and find some in a place away from roads or overpopulated areas, as they will be full of dust, etc.
Wild garlic is another Spring wonder, and just like nettles, it grows freely all around the Isle of Man - it's actually called by the locals 'Stinking Rogers', don't ask me why :)) It's incredibly flavourful and beautifully pungent, and it goes so well in this soup.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- nettles - they might look like a lot when you pick them up, but trust me, once they are boiled, they shrink a lot, just like spinach, so best to pick more than not enough - I weighed the ones I picked and they weighted 125 grams
- potato - helps with the creamy texture and makes the soup more filling
- onion - the perfect base for any soup, fried onion adds so much more flavour
- wild garlic - can be swapped for normal garlic if you can't find any
- salt & pepper - to taste
- cream - I used double cream for a touch of creaminess and richness
- veggie stock/broth - for extra flavour
- butter & olive oil - to fry the onion
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- add the nettle leaves to a pot with water, and bring it to a boil over a high heat
- leave it to boil for 3-4 minute, then drain the liquid well ( see photo 3)
- transfer the nettles to a wooden board and use a sharp knife to chop them up
- in a pan set over a medium heat, add the butter and oil, and allow the butter to melt
- add the chopped onion and season it with salt
- fry until golden
- add the peeled and chopped potato and wild garlic, give it a stir, then add the nettles
- add the broth and place a lid on the pot
- leave it to simmer until the potatoes are cooked
- add the cream, making sure it's well tempered, then season with salt and pepper
- use a hand blender to blitz it until creamy
- serve hot
Expert tips
Blanching the nettles in hot water before cooking with them is a crucial step, it ensures that all the impurities are removed. As nettles grow in various places, some more polluted than others, we need to make sure they are as clean as possible.
Use only the nettle leaves for the soup, the stems are too tough and it's best to remove them before adding them to the pan with boiling water.
Adding cream to the soup can be tricky and you might end up with curdled cream - best thing to do to avoid this is to add some of the hot liquid to the cream, mix it well, then remove the pot from the heat, and add the cream.
When the pot is back on the heat, give everything a good mix, the soup will stay creamy and aesthetically pleasing. For a thicker soup, use less stock than stated in the recipe card.
Other Spring soups
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Stinging Nettle Soup
Ingredients
- 125 g nettles ( top leaves only)
- 1 potato
- 1 onion
- 8 wild garlic leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup double cream ( 65 g)
- 2 cups vegetable stock (broth)
- 2 tablespoon butter ( 30 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
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Instructions
- Bring a pan with water to the boil, add the nettles and leave it to boil for 4-5 minutes.
- Drain the liquid, add the nettles to a collander, and use a wooden spoon to press down well to drain as much liquid as you can.
- Transfer the nettles to a chopping board and chop them roughly.
- In a pan set over a medium heat, add the butter and oil, and allow the butter to melt.
- Peel and chop the onion, and add it to the pan.
- Season with half a teaspoon of salt, then leave the onion to fry until golden.
- Add the chopped wild garlic and peeled and chopped potato.
- Pour over the stock, place a lid on the pot, and leave it to cook until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Add a few tablespoons of the hot liquid to the bowl of cream, so that the cream can be the same temperature as the soup.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and add the tempered cream.
- Season well with salt and pepper.
- Use a hand blender to blitz it until smooth.
- Serve hot!
Video
Notes
- Blanching the nettles in hot water before cooking with them is a crucial step, it ensures that all the impurities are removed. As nettles grow in various places, some more polluted than others, we need to make sure they are as clean as possible.
- Use only the nettle leaves for the soup, the stems are too tough and it's best to remove them before adding them to the pan with boiling water.
- Adding cream to the soup can be tricky and you might end up with curdled cream - best thing to do to avoid this is to add some of the hot liquid to the cream, mix it well, then remove the pot from the heat, and add the cream.
- When the pot is back on the heat, give everything a good mix, the soup will stay creamy and aesthetically pleasing. For a thicker soup, use less stock than stated in the recipe card.
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