Stinging nettle soup is healthy, spinach like soup full of nutrients and strong flavor. Paired with bacon and cheese is a real delicacy available to everyone.
Stinging nettle or common nettle (Urtica dioica) is edible flowering plant. You can find it worldwide. It has hollow stinging hairs on the leaves and stems that are like hypodermic needles injecting histamine. If you get in contact you get some burning sensations, itching, swelling and redness.
That's why you should always use gloves when foraging and harvesting nettle. After it's cooked or frozen it can't harm you.
Stinging nettle is full of nutrients
It's interesting that nettle is full of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and it can reduce inflammation in your body. Traditionally they use it as a medicine, for tea or syrup preparation. It doesn't have any NET Carbs, fibers only, so it's totally keto. It's perfect for keto and paleo way of eating.
I remember how my mother made nettle soup once when I was a child. It was incredible to me to understand how this dangerous plant could be so tasty in soup. I had to try to make it, and my family like it. So, I have to share it on my blog! 🙂
In this recipe I put a delicious crust with cheese and almond meal on top of each serving and bake it in the oven. It was really fantastic combination!
If you prepare it as a soup, you will definitely like it. It reminds on spinach, and it's fantastic in combination with cheese and fried crispy bacon. This recipe is low carb and keto, so if you are following ketogenic lifestyle you can enjoy this wild edible keto soup.
Ingredients for soup
Fresh nettle (use young plant tops) 150 g
Butter 2 TBS
Onion finely chopped 50 g/1.76 oz
Bacon or pancetta finely sliced 100 g/3.52 oz
Heavy whipping cream ½ cup/120 ml
Water or vegetable broth 2 cups
Salt to taste
Red paprika 1 tsp
Powdered garlic ½ teaspoon or fresh garlic 2 cloves finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Ingredients for the crust
Cheddar grated 100 g
Almond meal 3 TBS
Cream cheese 50 g
How to make stinging nettle soup?
In a large pot bring water with a pinch of salt to boil and put the nettle inside for 2-3 minutes.
After 3 minutes remove the nettle from the water, strain it well, remove all the water and set the nettle aside.
Melt 2 TBS of butter with slices of bacon or pancetta in a large pot.
When bacon is crispy remove it from the pot.
Put finely chopped onion on remaining butter and bacon fat and stir until onion is translucent and golden brown, add finely chopped garlic cloves and stir.
Add stinging nettle and stir, add heavy whipping cream and water or vegetable stock/broth and stir.
Add salt, ground red paprika, powdered garlic if not using fresh cloves. Cook it covered for 5 - 10 minutes. Blend it in a blender or with immersion blender and cook for 5 minutes more.
After 5 minutes, pour the soup into serving pots suitable for baking in the oven.
Make a crust and put it on top of the soup in each serving baking pot.
How to make crust?
Mix almond meal, cream cheese and cheddar into a dough and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper.
Bake the soup with the crust on top in the preheated oven on 180C (356F) for 10 minutes or until crust golden brown.
Sprinkle the soup crust with crispy bacon.
Serve it and enjoy! 💕
You can serve some nice keto bread with this soup, like artisan keto bread or keto ciabatta.
If you like wild edibles, check my sugar free elderflower cordial and elderflower cake.
Leave the comment and let me know if you like this recipe and wild edibles!
Ines <3
Stinging nettle soup
Stinging nettle soup is healthy, spinach like soup full of nutrients and strong flavor. Paired with bacon and cheese is a real delicacy available to everyone.
Ingredients
- Fresh nettle (use young plant tops) 150 g
- Butter 2 TBS
- Onion finely chopped 50 g/1.76 oz
- Bacon or pancetta finely sliced 100 g/3.52 oz
- Heavy whipping cream ½ cup/120 ml
- Water or vegetable broth 2 cups
- Salt to taste
- Red ground paprika 1 tsp
- Powdered garlic ½ teaspoon or fresh garlic 2 cloves finely chopped
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Ingredients for the crust
- Cheddar cheese grated 100 g/3.52 oz
- Almond meal 3 TBS
- Cream cheese 50 g/1.76 oz
Instructions
- In large pot bring water with a pinch of salt to boil and immerse the nettle for 2-3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes remove the nettle from the water, strain it well, remove all the water and set the nettle aside.
- Melt 2 TBS of butter with slices of bacon or pancetta in a large pot.
- When bacon is crispy, remove it from the pot.
- Put finely chopped onion on remaining butter and stir until onion is translucent and golden brown, then add garlic cloves finely chopped.
- Add stinging nettle and stir, add heavy whipping cream and water or vegetable stock/broth and stir.
- Add salt, red ground paprika and powdered garlic if not using fresh cloves. Cook it covered for 5 - 10 minutes. Blend it in a blender or with immersion blender and cook for 5 minutes more. After 5 minutes, pour the soup into serving pots suitable for baking in the oven/oven safe bowls.
- Prepare the crust and put it on top of the soup in oven safe bowls.
- How to make crust?
- Mix almond meal, cream cheese and cheddar into a dough and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Bake the soup with the crust on top in the preheated oven on 180C (356F) for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Sprinkle the soup crust with crispy bacon.
- Serve it and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ amountAmount Per Serving: Calories: 460Total Fat: 42gCarbohydrates: 5.52gNet Carbohydrates: 2.68gFiber: 2.84gProtein: 14.07g
This is for your information only, calculate your own macros with ingredients you use.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!