Chicken and Gnocchi Soup {Recipe}

I love soup. It is the perfect food to warm up a cold winter day. It is my go-to comfort food. There are quite a few soups that I love to eat. For example I love Cheesy Broccoli Soup, Chili, Minestrone, French Onion Soup, and Chicken and Wild Rice soup. But my all time favorite soup would have to be Chicken and Gnocchi Soup from the Olive Garden. Every bite is perfect and it is hearty enough to be a meal in itself.

I tasted this soup for the very first time while in New York in August of 2012 for BlogHer12. I was eating at the Olive Garden in Times Square with my parents – a simple soup and salad lunch to tide us over on our fun filled day of being tourists. It was so good and totally hit the spot. I knew immediately that this was one that I NEEDED to be able to make for myself. So I did!

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1/2 cup celery {thinly sliced}
• 1 cup onion {finely diced}
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 14 ounce cans of chicken broth
• 1 cup carrots {shredded}
• 1 cup button mushrooms {sliced}
• 1 cup chicken breasts {cooked and diced}
• 2/3 package gnocchi cooked {you can use the whole package if you are a big gnocchi fan.}
• 1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

How to Make it:

1. Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onions become translucent.
2. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for another minute.
3. Add 1 quart of half and half.
4. Cook gnocchi according to package directions in a separate pot.
5. Into the roux mixture, add in the carrots, mushrooms, and chicken.
6. Once the mixture thickens add the chicken broth.
7. Once the mixture thickens again add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning.
8. Let the soup simmer until it is heated through. 

Source: This recipe was adapted from CopyKat Recipes.

I make a batch of this soup on Mondays and then eat it throughout the week for lunch. It will usually make three-to-four days of meals. If I am feeling really nice I make a batch and share it with my in-laws too. This makes a generous amount of soup and is good to the last bite!

I love this soup and never seem to tire of it. It is a great pregnancy meal for me because nothing in it ever seems to set me off and it is full of yummy veggies.

Do you have a favorite soup?

This post is being submitted at the Delicious Dish Tuesday link-up so make sure you stop by and check out all the delicious recipes linked up there!

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