Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Made with Homemade Gnocchi

It's a rare occasion that I get to enjoy a lunch with my sister. One afternoon we were out shopping and decided to stop at Olive Garden to have their unlimited soup, salad and bread sticks special.

I love Olive Garden's salad and was looking forward to trying their soup. I had tried their Zuppa Toscana soup before and loved it but this time I decided to try their Chicken & Gnocchi soup. This was new to me and I didn't know what to expect. But from the moment it touched my lips I was in heaven. It was love at first bite! I thought I only wanted one bowl of soup. My stomach said I only wanted one bowl of soup but you know how that goes when you really really enjoy something? You tend to overeat! And that I did. Ugh! Can someone call the ambulance? I must try to make this at home. Or should I? It could be dangerous.

Now that cooler weather is settling in I'm trying to find a few tasty comforting soups that I can enjoy for lunch. So I went on a mission to find a recipe for Chicken & Gnocchi soup. But anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised to hear that I wanted to make my own homemade gnocchi also. Store bought just won't do for this gal. 

I found both recipes I wanted to try on Allrecipes.com. I started with the Gnocchi I - aka a roman numeral 1 and not an I just so you know :) . I made the gnocchi on a Sunday evening in the middle of a storm, a very windy storm. Needless to say, the storm knocked out our power while I was in the middle of the recipe. So my husband gathered many candles and a propane lantern so I could finish my chore by candlelight. I felt like Ma Ingalls from Little House On The Prairie.

I finished the recipe and tossed them into the freezer hoping that they would be ok until the power came back on. They survived the storm and froze beautifully. Before cooking I removed them from the freezer and allowed them to thaw. Here's my finished and cooked gnocchi. I was very excited with the results for my first attempt.

Gnocchi I

Now off to try the Chicken and Gnocchi soup recipe. As I mentioned, I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com and I didn't change a thing. I had some chicken stock in the freezer that I had made from the bones of another roasted chicken so I used that. But I did cheat and use the meat from a store bought rotisserie chicken. It worked out great.

Here's my finished product.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

This soup is delicious!! If you love Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi soup and you love to cook you will not be disappointed in this recipe. It's yummy goodness! 

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

I hope you decide to give this soup a try. While you're at it won't you try the homemade gnocchi also? You won't regret it. I promise. Just have a napkin ready to wipe the drool.

Now on to the recipes:

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup 
Makes 6 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
3 – 4 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
4 cups chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) package mini potato gnocchi (or use recipe below)
1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
2 cups half-and-half cream
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.

Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, about 3 additional minutes.

Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and half-and-half into simmering soup. Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

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Gnocchi
Makes 4 servings
2 potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Combine 1 cup mashed potato, flour and egg in a large bowl. Knead until dough forms a ball. Shape small portions of the dough into long "snakes". On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.