Gnocchi Soup

My gnocchi was begging to be used in a non-traditional manner.  Typically I serve it up with olive oil, chicken, veggies, and parm but I wanted something different this time.  I found this recipe which recreated OG's soup.  Somehow all the times I've dined at OG I've missed this soup.  Weird. 

The end result was fab.  I subbed milk for the half and half, cut out the carrots (since someone fed the entire 2lb bag to the dog), and omitted the celery as well since I'm not a huge fan.  The leftovers are now sitting pretty in Mason jars in our deep freezer waiting to be devoured on a busy evening.  I have a slight obsession with freezer meals so this recipe made me feel happy all over. 


I'm looking forward to Kris being off the next ten days. We're kicking it off with seeing a parade, Santa, and Christmas lights tomorrow, gymnastics class for Parker on Saturday, and lots of staycation fun--hands on museums, jungle gyms, shopping, etc.  Making enough eats to feed a small army is also in the works for Turkey day.  I'm gonna have some fun bringing new Pinterest recipes to life.  I'll report back.

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Author: CopyKat Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 14 ounce cans of chicken broth if you enjoy thick soup, use one can
• 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
• 1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
• 1 package gnocchi, cooked  (you can find these in gourmet/pasta section of the grocery store - you may want to cut the gnocchi in half if it is large, or purchase the mini size if available)
• 1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning; simmer until soup is heated through.  Before serving season to taste by adding additional salt.