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Creamy Nettle and Potato Soup

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An easy, creamy soup that highlights the unique flavor of stinging nettles.

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¼–1⁄2 lbs raw stinging nettles (including stems), washed (I often use 1⁄2 lbs, but have made this with as little as ¼ lb)
  • 1¼ lb potatoes, roughly chopped (bite-size if not blending soup at the end)
  • 1 onion (~0.8 lb), chopped
  • 2 Tbsp garlic, minced (from 6–8 cloves)
  • 4 Tbsp butter, unsalted (May replace with olive oil if dairy free)
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium (Suggest 6 cups if omitting cream and not blending soup)
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram
  • ¼ tsp table salt (If using cream, I double the salt.)
  • 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream (May omit if dairy free)
  • Ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Prepare the nettles:
    1. Wash nettles thoroughly in a strainer or salad spinner. I recommend handling the nettles with gloves and tongs to avoid being stung.
    2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
    3. After washing the nettles thoroughly, boil the nettles to remove the sting. I drop the washed nettles – stems and all – into a large pot of boiling water and ensure the leaves and stems boil for at least 3 minutes, and up to 5 minutes. Rotate nettles using tongs during boiling if the leaves and stems cannot be submerged.
    4. Remove nettles from boiling water by pouring into a strainer over a sink, or remove them with tongs
    5. Separate the leaves and tender stems from large, tough stems. Discard any large, tough stems.
    6. Roughly chop the leaves and tender stems and set aside.
  2. Heat 4 TBSP of butter in a stockpot over medium heat.
  3. Add chopped onion to the butter and sauté until translucent – about 10 minutes.
  4. Add 2 TBSP minced garlic and sauté until fragrant – about 2 minutes.
  5. Add chicken or vegetable broth and the chopped potatoes to the pot
    1. Use 4 cups of broth if adding heavy cream and blending.
    2. Use 6 cups of broth if omitting the heavy cream and not blending for a more brothy soup.
  6. Bring mixture to a boil, and then cover and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are soft – 15 minutes or more.
  7. Add the roughly chopped nettles and dried marjoram. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes.
  8. If blending the soup, you can do so with an immersion blender (my preference), or in batches using a blender. Blend to desired consistency.
  9. If desired, add 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream and stir to combine.
  10. Add salt to taste. I used 1⁄2 tsp of table salt if heavy cream is used, and ¼ tsp of salt if the cream is omitted.

Notes

Nutrition estimates were based on using 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth and 1⁄2 cup of heavy cream.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://myglutenfreephd.com/creamy-nettle-potato-soup/