Ready for a family-friendly main course concocted from the plant thought to be the most nutritive on the planet? Get your harvesting gloves out, grab your scissors and a bag or colander, and let's get snipping for nettle soup. No nettles in your yard? Now is the time of year you'll often see fresh nettles for sale at the farmer's market or at a health foods store. Or, grab dried nettles here. 

Stinging Nettle Soup Recipe

The recipe below is super adaptable to whatever you have in your cupboard + nettles (or even other spring greens). Add a can of full-fat coconut milk to make it creamy and dreamy. Sub in a handful of springtime ramp tops or an onion for the leek. Add bone broth instead of chicken broth. Toss in a handful of fresh thyme, sage, rosemary, or oregano from your kitchen garden. Toss in a handful of fresh dill (such a delicious variation). Let there be liberation in the limitation! In one variation of this soup, I threw in some Japanese spinach, dill, thyme, and shallots and it was perfection. 

Nourishing, Adaptable Nettle Soup

There are a million and one variations on a theme to the basic nettle soup recipe, and many are tasty versions of this classic. The possibilities are endless when you have the freedom to use either fresh nettles or dried, depending on the time of year and what you have access to. Fresh nettles are a delicious and vibrant treat, but our dried, cut and sift nettles work beautifully in this recipe, too. Eat something wild every day!

   1 good-sized leek

   3 medium-sized golden beets

   3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled

   3 tbsp dried stinging nettle or 1-2 cups fresh nettle tops

   5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

   Salt and pepper to taste

Finely dice the white part of the leek. In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the leek. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until the leek is soft and translucent. Peel and chop the beets and potatoes into one-inch pieces. Add the beets and potatoes to the leeks, along with the nettles and broth.

Cook for 35-40 minutes or until both the beets and potatoes are very soft. With an immersion blender or in a container blender, puree the soup in batches. Return to the pot to warm and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Bon appetit ~ your kidneys, adrenals, skin, hair, and nervous system will thank you for nourishing yourself with nettles. Eat your weeds!

Downloadable version of this recipe below: