Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Serves 6
10 mins prep
20 mins cook
30 mins total
😍🙌🎉 This Olive Garden copycat recipe is so EASY, made in one pot, and ready in just 30 minutes! There’s an abundance of chicken and tender gnocchi, along with onions, carrots, and garlic for layers of flavor. Fresh spinach adds texture while the creamy broth makes this the ULTIMATE comfort food soup recipe that the whole family will LOVE! We think it’s even BETTER than the restaurant version!
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To a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot, add the butter, onions, celery, carrots, and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until vegetables are beginning to soften; stir very frequently. Tip - Make sure the carrots are cut thin enough. You don't have to julienne them (which is matchstick style) and can dice them or slice them into thin rounds, but because they are the toughest vegetable, they'll take the longest to cook and later on biting into hard carrots that weren't quite cooked long enough is unappetizing.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute; stir constantly.
Evenly sprinkle the flour over the top and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes; stir nearly constantly. Tips - You are making a roux here. Later on, this helps to thicken the soup so don't shortchange this step for that reason. Also, you want to cook the flour sufficiently so that you're not left with any raw flour taste in the finished soup. The color should be a golden to medium amber color after 2-3 minutes.
Slowly and evenly pour in the reduced sodium chicken broth, half-and-half, chicken*, gnocchi, thyme, mustard (both these seasonings are highly recommended but if you don't have one, yes you can omit it), stir to combine, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until gnocchi is soft and tender. Tips - See the notes below for extra info. I use a bag of frozen gnocchi that I allow to sit on my counter for about 15 minutes before adding it; it doesn't need to be completely thawed but not rock hard is good. Make sure not to let the soup come to a roaring boil after adding the dairy, just a nice and gentle simmer. You run the risk of the dairy proteins breaking and you'd have to start over if you let the heat output get too high or the boil is too hard/fast.
Turn off the heat, add the spinach (I add a couple big handfuls, which is more than 1 cup, you can also use kale) and stir until it wilts. The carryover heat from the broth will wilt it. I don't like the appearance/texture of frozen spinach here but you can technically use it.
Add the salt, pepper, optional but recommended red pepper flakes for flavor (they don't really add heat in this small quantity), stir, taste, and make any necessary flavor adjustments. Tip - If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, or dull, it probably needs more salt. I use about 3 to 4 teaspoons total, which sounds like a lot but because I use reduced sodium broth, and I'm flavoring a huge pot of soup, I find it really does need this much. Don't be shy with salt if you want this to taste like a true restaurant copycat!
Serve immediately. Extra soup will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Tip - Take special care when reheating and/or thawing + reheating the soup not to use too high of heat. Anything with dairy needs a bit more caution so it doesn't break. I use my microwave but you can do it in a small pot on the stovetop.