Well, it certainly has been a while! I’ve been on a bit of a food blog hiatus while I’ve been knee deep in the busiest family season and wedding season for me over at Alysha Yoder Photography. But, with the rainy weather we’ve had the past few weekends, I’ve been able to catch up on some work and have a little time this weekend before a million family sessions come across my table. Which leads me to a family fall favorite recipe! Fall is my favorite time of year, but it also leaves me craving warm comforting foods and this chicken gnocchi soup is one of the best! If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, this is very similar to their chicken and gnocchi soup, I’ve just added more veggies, gnocchi, and seasoning lol! And really, this takes about 15 minutes to make, it’s just the simmering which adds some time until you get to enjoy. This honestly is one of those recipes too that gets better the next day. It’s one of my husband’s favorite things to take to work the next day. Sprinkle on a little parm and you have soup for days! So whip up a pot of this soup and enjoy it by the fire place as you’re enjoying all this lovely fall weather!
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick salted butter
- 3 whole carrots diced (remove tops)
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 whole, large sweet or yellow onion, chopped finely
- 4-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced finely
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 - 32 oz cartons chicken broth
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 - 12 oz bag frozen spinach (defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out)
- 2 - 16 oz packages potato gnocchi (make sure to break up before putting in soup)
- 1 cup milk (we used 2%)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (can use light cream or half and half in a pinch)
Optional Garnish:
- grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- ***Don't forget to defrost frozen spinach the night before, otherwise you'll have to cook in microwave.**Chop up onion, carrots, celery, chicken and garlic. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook until onions translucent. Add in carrots and celery. Cook for 3 minutes. Add in chicken, thyme, black pepper, and flour. Stir until everything is well combined and coated in flour (about 3 minutes). Slowly add chicken broth, stirring to make sure flour has incorporated with liquid, ensuring no lumps. Once all broth has been added, add bay leaves and bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add in drained spinach and gnocchi (make sure to break up gnocchi in package so they don't cook clumped together). Cook for another 10 minutes or until all gnocchi has risen to the top. Turn off heat and stir in milk and cream. Serve immediately and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
