Stinging Nettles Recipe - Nettle Lentil Soup

Finding a patch of stinging nettles can be great, or it can really suck for your ankles. Being stung when you are not expecting it feels like being stuck with 1000 red-hot needles coated with tabasco sauce. Finding a patch while out letterboxing, and not inadvertently stepping in that patch is a super find for a forager. We were so amazed with this field filled with nettles, I carved and hid a letterbox Foraging Nettles there, along with a micro bonus box.



Nettles (Urtica dioica) are a perennial herb growing on a hollow, stringy stem. The leaves are coarsely toothed, papery, 1-3 inches long, with a pointed tip and shaped a bit like an elongated heart. All parts of the plant contain the stings, which are like mini hypodermic needles filled with formic acid, histamine, acetylcholine and other nasty things to irritate your skin. Pick the shoots in early spring before the small, greenish, inconspicuous flowers appear by using gloves. In a large patch, it is easy to fill a large paper bag quickly.




The sting disappears with cooking or drying. You can steam the leaves, but the stems are too
tough and fibrous to eat. We also add the leaves directly to cook in soup, chop them up to use in quiche or spanikopita filling, or eat then lightly stir fried as a green. The stems and leaves can be dried in a dark place to use for an herbal tisane in the winter months when the "green" flavor is a welcome one. Nettles contain wonderful amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, beta carotene, and provide an excellent source of plant-based protein.




Here is a favorite recipe based on something I found in Vegetarian Times, using stinging nettles instead of spinach.








Nettle Soup with Lentils makes about 6 servings


2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1/3 c. dry lentils
1/2 tsp. tumeric
4 c. vegetable broth
3 c. water
10 oz. fresh nettle leaves, cleaned
about 20 ramps leaves and stems, chopped
1/2 c. dry linguine, broken into pieces
1 c. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint



1. Heat the oil and sautée the onions over medium heat until browned.
2. Add lentils and tumeric and sautée 1 minute. Pour in vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil, reduce to medium and cook 10 minutes.
3. Add nettles and ramps, simmer 20 minutes longer.
4. Stir in pasta pieces, and cook 10 minutes longer, until the pasta is al dente. The broth should be a deep, greenish-yellow.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a dollop of yogurt and fresh mint.