My Chicken Gnocchi Soup is creamy, luscious, and jam-packed with gnocchi, chicken, and spinach—just like the restaurant version. And it’s so easy, you can whip up a pot tonight!
I love gnocchi. I put it on sheet pan dinners and in skillet meals. And of course I enjoy it traditionally too, boiled and served with an Italian-inspired sauce.
I also love homemade soup—my site has dozens of recipes for it. (Here’s a nice round-up of several.)
So of course I had to make a homemade version of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup. And you know what? It’s easy!
A Simple Soup With Some Special Ingredients
You read that right. To make Chicken Gnocchi Soup you follow a pretty basic soup-making method. Sauté some vegetables—in this case, carrots, celery, and onions—then add broth and any other goodies. And you have soup!
In the case of Chicken Gnocchi Soup, the goodies include, of course, chicken and gnocchi. But also spinach, thyme, and half and half. It’s the combo of all those things that makes the creamy, hearty soup so many of us know and love.
Simple Prep With The Help Of Store-bought Ingredients
As I mentioned, this soup isn’t just delicious. It’s easy to make too. And one of the things that makes it that way is a few store-bought ingredients.
Store-bought gnocchi, for example. You’ll find it in the pasta aisle, the refrigerated pasta section, and the frozen food section. Some stores won’t have all three kinds, but that’s okay because any kind works in this recipe (but if you’re using frozen, thaw it first).
I also use a 32-ounce package of chicken broth (no measuring) and packaged baby spinach (no washing or chopping).
Some recipes for this soup also use shredded carrots, which you can buy already prepared. But I think that small carrot sticks better replicate the restaurant version. If you don’t mind trading a little authenticity for convenience, though, shredded carrots will absolutely work—use about a cup.
Some recipes also use cooked chicken, but I find I can use raw chicken and cook it right in the soup, avoiding the need to pre-cook. If you have cooked chicken on hand, however, you can absolutely use that instead—see the recipe for details.
Add some Olive Garden-y breadsticks (look for them in the freezer aisle) and a green salad with Italian dressing, and you’ve got all the feels of a yummy dinner out right in your own home.
Enjoy!
Christine
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
My Chicken Gnocchi Soup is creamy, luscious, and jam-packed with gnocchi, chicken, and spinach—just like the restaurant version. And it’s so easy, you can whip up a pot tonight!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 carrots, cut into 1-in. sticks (see note)
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp. pepper, plus more to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-in. dice (see note)
- 1 lb. fresh, frozen, or shelf-stable gnocchi (thawed if frozen)
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups half and half
Instructions
- In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the broth and chicken and bring to a boil.
- Add the gnocchi and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the half and half and spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Note: You can substitute 1 cup of shredded carrots for the carrot sticks. You can also substitute 2 cups of diced cooked chicken for the raw, but add it with the gnocchi.
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