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    Home » Leafy Greens

    Zuppa Ortiche (Italian Nettle Soup)

    Published: Jan 19, 2013 Modified: Sep 27, 2024 Author: Alan Bergo

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    Common stinging nettles are one of the most widely eaten wild plants around the world, and all it takes to unlock some new ideas for cooking with them is often a name, in the case of this Italian Nettle soup recipe, that's the word ortiche, an obvious cousin to the Latin name Urtica.

    Zuppa Ortiche Italian Nettle Soup

    Do a quick google search for "zuppa ortiche" and you'll get all kinds of ideas for how people in Italy who enjoy nettles might use them. If you're in North America, you could also make this with our native wood nettle / Laportea canadensis-a delicious edible cousin to stinging nettles. 

    I have a couple books on wild plants from Italy, in Italian that I consulted for inspiration and historical examples while I was writing my book, and I knew I had to have a version of zuppa ortiche after seeing lots of different recipes for it that all had a similar style. 

    Zuppa Ortiche Italian Nettle Soup with Rice
    Some versions of Zuppa ortiche call for rice instead of pasta. pick whichever you like/have on hand. The rice can be nice, but I found it absorbs a lot of liquid as it sits so I prefer adding cooked pasta right before serving. 

    As I often do, I looked at a bunch of different recipes for the same thing, compared some quantities and ingredients, made a rough average of them including outlier ingredients, and made a basic recipe. If you're wondering how an Italian nettle soup might differ from some of the other nettle soups on this site, here's the things that stick out to me I made sure to pay attention to. 

    Common characteristics of zuppa ortiche 

    • Most of the Italian nettle soups are coarsely pureed, or passed through a food mill, which means they shouldn't be completely smooth and the nettle leaves should have some texture. In other words, they're rustic. 
    • Tomatoes seem to be omnipresent in all zuppa ortiche recipes I've seen, much different from say, Scandinavian nettle soups that almost always have cream. 
    • Starch is typically included (I can only assume to give the soup some weight) typically rice or pasta is added after the soup is pureed-I've given proportions below that will work with either, just make sure to use small pasta like rings or something small that can fit on a spoon if you choose pasta. 
    Zuppa Ortiche Italian Nettle Soup
    Zuppa Ortiche Italian Nettle Soup in a bowl
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    Zuppa di Ortiche (Italian Nettle Soup)

    A simple Italian nettle soup inspired by versions of zuppa ortiche I've tried. Cooked with tomatoes, rice, and stock, any greens will taste great, and it’s a refreshing break from creamed, pureéed soups. Pass the olive oil, crusty bread, black pepper, and parmesan Parmesan at the table. You can add either rice or cooked pasta to the finished soup.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer, Soup
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Stinging Nettles, Wood Nettles
    Servings: 4
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Ingredients

    Soup

    • 1 tablespoon (two medium cloves) thinly sliced garlic
    • ¼ cup olive oil, or lard
    • 3 ounces diced leek, or one 1 small leek
    • 4 ounces diced yellow onion, or one 1 small onion
    • Pinch of dried chili or crushed red pepper
    • 1 can 15.5 ounces chopped peeled tomatoes
    • ¾ pounds fresh nettles, or about 1½ packed cups blanched or frozen nettles
    • Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
    • 6 cups meat stock, such as chicken
    • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
    • 1½ cups cooked rice or small pasta

    Serving suggestions

    • Extra-virgin olive oil
    • lemon wedges
    • grated high-quality parmesan, to garnish
    • Spoonfuls of pesto, to garnish optional

    Instructions

    • For the strongest nettle flavor, coarsely chop the fresh greens with a knife wearing gloves. You can also use blanched or frozen nettles.
    • Sweat the garlic in the oil over low heat, just until just light brown, but not burned.
    • Add the leeks and onions and cook for a few minutes more, until translucent. Add the chili, tomatoes, chili, nettles, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the stock, then bring to a simmer and cook for 5- to 10 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat and pulse the mixture with a hand blender until almost smooth.
    • Cook the soup, covered, for another 15- to 20 minutes, or until the greens are tender.
    • Add the rice or pasta, taste and correct the seasoning for salt and pepper as needed, then serve with a generous pour of good olive oil and lemon and pesto if using.

    More 

    Forager's Guide to Nettles 

    Forager's Guide to Wood Nettles 

    « Puffball Mushrooms
    Candy Cap Creme Anglaise »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Regan

      September 26, 2024 at 10:47 am

      Do you add the nettles raw to the soup or blanch them first?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 27, 2024 at 11:25 am

        Hi Regan. For the strongest nettle flavor wear gloves and chop the greens raw and add them to the soup. You can also use blanched or frozen nettles.

        Reply

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