This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn qualifying purchases. Click here for more about this policy.
Create a cozy weeknight meal in 35 minutes with this Creamy Gnocchi Soup. This soup is full of fresh vegetables, flavorful chicken, Italian spices, and tender gnocchi in a rich, creamy broth.
This chicken gnocchi soup recipe tastes like you spent all day simmering it on the stove, but it really only takes just a tiny bit more than 30 minutes and comes together in a single pot. It’s the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal that tastes like a warm hug.
Chicken soup is also great for you because it’s packed with protein, nutrients, and fiber from the veggies. This is sure to become one of your new favorite meals!
If you like easy Italian recipes, you will love my chicken and gnocchi skillet and noodle-less skillet lasagna!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich and Creamy: Not only does this gnocchi soup have a rich and flavorful chicken stock base, but it’s also made with half & half to create a creamy broth.
- Healthier: This soup has half the calories of traditional gnocchi soup recipes and it’s packed with 35 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber making it healthier and better balanced than traditional gnocchi soup recipes.
- One Pot Soup: Don’t dirty a lot of dishes! Make this soup in one pot, from searing the chicken, to sautéing the vegetables, and making the broth you only need one soup pot.
- Ready in 30 Minutes: While some soups need hours to simmer, this one takes less than 30 minutes on the stove. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal after a long day!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into uniform 1” pieces so they cook thoroughly and evenly in the soup. You could also use leftover shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to make things easier.
- Chicken Broth: Use a low-sodium chicken broth as the base for the soup!
- Onion, Carrots, and Celery: This combination of aromatic vegetables is also known as a mirepoix. It’s the key to creating a flavorful base for soups and stews. Save yourself some prep time and buy a frozen mirepoix blend instead of chopping your own.
- Fat Free Half & Half: Use this alternative to heavy cream to make the soup creamy without adding as much fat to the recipe.
- Garlic and Seasonings: The key to a good soup is herbs and spices to add flavor. Use fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, thyme, and celery salt to season this homemade chicken gnocchi soup.
- Potato Gnocchi: Shelf-stable gnocchi hold their shape and don’t overcook as quickly as fresh gnocchi. If you want the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to purchase gluten-free gnocchi!
- Baby Spinach: Add some more veggies and fiber to your soup with fresh spinach.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make It Dairy-Free: Instead of half and half, use full-fat coconut milk to give your soup its creamy consistency. Be sure you also purchase a dairy-free gnocchi. For more dishes without dairy, try this dairy-free chicken Alfredo too!
- Try Different Kinds of Gnocchi: Experiment with different flavors of gnocchi, other than classic potato gnocchi. Trader Joe’s sells seasonal gnocchi using sweet potato, pumpkin, or cauliflower throughout the year. You can also find cauliflower gnocchi at many grocery stores as a low-carb option.
- Add Different Veggies: This gnocchi soup is full of vegetables, but you can always add more! Try using kale or Swiss chard instead of spinach. You can also add zucchini, red bell pepper, or sundried tomatoes.
How to Make Creamy Gnocchi Soup
This healthy chicken gnocchi soup couldn’t be easier to make. You just need one large pot or Dutch oven on the stove. The most time-consuming part of the process is chopping up the chicken and vegetables.
- Step 1: Sauté the Chicken. Add the chicken with a bit of salt to a large pot with heated olive oil. Saute the chicken until the outside is slightly browned and the internal temperature is 165°F. Remove it from the pot and set it aside for later.
- Step 2: Add the Vegetables. Add a tablespoon of broth to the pot, then add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
- Step 3: Cook the Vegetables. Saute the veggies for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies start to soften. While they cook, whisk together a tablespoon of half and half with the cornstarch. Set it aside to thicken.
- Step 4: Add the Seasonings. Add the Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, thyme, celery salt, pepper, and salt to the pot with the veggies. Stir the mixture and let it cook for 1 minute to slightly toast the seasonings and let the flavors bloom.
- Step 5: Stir in the Broth. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot with the chicken broth and remaining half and half. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer and thicken for 10 minutes.
- Step 6: Add the Gnocchi. Stir in the gnocchi. Place the cover back on the pot and cook the gnocchi for about 8 minutes, or until it is tender.
- Step 7: Add the Spinach and Chicken. Turn off the heat and add the chicken back to the pot along with the fresh spinach. The spinach will wilt quickly in the hot broth. Taste test and adjust your seasonings as needed.
- Step 8: Garnish and Serve. Top your creamy gnocchi soup with grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and black pepper when you serve it with some almond flour biscuits on the side.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: Be sure to monitor the temperature of the chicken as you saute it at the beginning. You don’t want to cook it beyond 165°F or it could become tough and dry, even after being added to the broth.
- Wait to Add Gnocchi: While it may be tempting to add the gnocchi earlier in the cooking process, be sure to save it for the last few minutes. If the gnocchi cooks too long it will fall apart and become mushy instead of tender and chewy.
- Use Room Temperature Dairy: Prevent the dairy from curdling by letting the half and half sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Cold dairy in a hot soup will curdle but room temperature cream is less likely to curdle as quickly.
- Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat the soup in the microwave in 60-second increments, stirring between intervals, until it is heated through. You can also reheat them on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a bit of broth if it’s too thick.
Serving Suggestions
One of the best parts about soup is that it’s usually a full meal in a bowl. This hearty chicken and gnocchi soup has protein, fiber, and fats, so it doesn’t need a side dish. However, you can never go wrong pairing it with a fresh salad or slice of crusty bread to dip in the broth.
- Since this dish is similar to the chicken and gnocchi soup at Olive Garden, it makes sense to pair it with my healthier copycat Olive Garden salad. You can use the copycat dressing in the recipe or make a lighter homemade Italian salad dressing.
- If you’d like to serve your soup with a gluten-free bread, my healthy cauliflower bread is packed with extra protein, but is low-carb.
- Don’t forget dessert! A hearty soup pairs well with a lighter dessert with lemon to lift the heaviness of the cream off your palate. These healthy lemon lavender cookies are the perfect citrusy dessert.
Creamy Gnocchi Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, this is a great soup recipe for the slow cooker! Add all of the ingredients, except the gnocchi, spinach, and half and half, to the crockpot and let it cook on low for 3-4 hours. In the last hour of cooking, stir in the gnocchi. About 15 minutes before serving stir in the half and half and cornstarch mixture, the remaining tempered half and half, and the spinach. Let the spinach wilt and the half and half thicken into the soup before serving.
A grainy texture in your soup is most likely from adding cold dairy to the hot soup. Be sure to let the half and half sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before adding it to the soup. It also helps to reduce the heat of the stove before adding the cream.
Since this soup has dairy it needs to be stirred frequently or it may stick to the bottom of the pot and scorch a bit. Be sure to stir every 1-2 minutes to keep anything from settling in the bottom of the pot and burning.
Yes, you can make gnocchi soup gluten-free by swapping traditional wheat-based gnocchi for store-bought gluten-free potato gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi.
More Delicious Chicken Soup Recipes
If you tried this Creamy Gnocchi Soup recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Creamy Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ½ lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- ¾ Cup White Onion, diced
- 2/3 Cup Carrots, diced
- 2/3 Cup Celery, diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ cup Fat Free Half & Half, room temperature
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch , or Arrowroot Powder
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp Poultry Seasoning
- ½ tsp Thyme, dried
- ¼ tsp Celery Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 lbs. Potato Gnocchi
- 4 oz. Baby Spinach, fresh
- For Garnish: Grated Parmesan and Fresh Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and salt the chicken. Sauté the chicken 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot onto a plate.
- Add the one tablespoon of broth then add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté about 5 minutes until the onion is softened.
- Add one tablespoon of the half and half to a bowl and whisk together with the corn starch.
- To the pot with veggies, add the Italian seasoning, Poultry seasoning, dried thyme, celery salt, black pepper and salt. Stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot with the remaining half and half and chicken broth. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Stir in the gnocchi. Cover the pot again and cook another 8 minutes or until the gnocchi is cooked.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the chicken and baby spinach. Adjust the seasonings as desired. Serve with grated Parmesan, chopped freshly parsley and black pepper on top.
Notes
- Remove the chicken from the pot after sautéing it to 165°F to avoid overcooking it and drying it out.
- Don’t add the gnocchi until the last 10 minutes of cook time to ensure it is tender and chewy, not mushy when you serve the soup.
- Let the half and half sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before adding it to the soup so it doesn’t curdle.
- One serving equals 1/6th of the recipe or about 2 cups.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
