Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup Copycat

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Copycat

SUNDAY

Yield: 6 servings

Fluffy clouds of potato gnocchi, tender bites of chicken and fresh spinach swimming in a sea of thick, rich broth.

Okay. No, we're not going with tender bites of chicken and fresh spinach swimming in a sea of thick, rich broth.  Our version will be a bit of ground chicken and fresh kale swimming in a sea of homemade chicken stock with a tiny bit of dehydrated milk and a bit of regular whole milk thrown in for a better texture. 

Reasons?  The chicken I prefer ground rather than chunks.  The kale this time of year is cheaper and its very good for you too.  The half and half?  Don't have any and I do not want to use all of my sons whole milk from Kilby Cream.  

You might notice as I get going here again, I post a lot of recipes for soups or chili.  Reason?  You can take a few cheap ingredients and make it into a filling, nutritious meal for a mid sized to larger family.  Serve some bread and maybe a salad and you have the makings for a great meal.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 + 1/2 cups half & half

2 cups cooked white meat chicken, shredded or cut into small bites

1 pound potato gnocchi

3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

fresh grated Parmesan and/or Romano, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil together over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender over medium-low heat about 10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir into the vegetables, cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the chicken broth 1 cup at a time, followed by the half & half.
3. Add the cooked chicken. Bring up to a simmer and maintain for 20 minutes stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the gnocchi separately according to package directions. Add them to the soup along with the spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted. Stir in basil. Serve with grated cheese.