One runs out of options when attempting to describe a recipe you enjoyed a lot and then, unfortunately, every attempt begins to sound cliche. So, simply said, this soup is simply excellent...in every way. It's easy to prepare (I bought a rotisserie chicken and made a stock of the carcass), uses just a few, simple, fresh and healthy ingredients, smells awesome good while cooking, pretty to look at, and goes down reaaaaaaal easy and good. I also appreciated that the soup depends strictly on the flavor of its few, good ingredients and doesn't have to be pumped up with a ton of spices and herbs to make it good. Delicious, simple comfort food. Oh - and I prepared the recipe exactly as the submitter wrote it, not using the optional cornstarch slurry. It was perfectly thick and hearty without it! (I originally posted this review back in February 2011 when it was still a “Personal Recipe.” Glad to see it now published as a “Kitchen Approved Recipe!”)
Good as written, but like other reviewers I did not add the cornstarch & water. However due to high cholesterol issues at our house, we opted for a lower fat version made by substituting the half and half for fat free evaporated milk. (Fat free half and half will also work but I prefer the flavor of the evaporated fat free milk). We also increased the spinach to 8 ounces for extra iron and decreased the gnocchi by half. I let the soup cook a little longer, uncovered on simmer, to thicken. Saved a ton of calories while keeping the flavor of the original recipe and was super healthy!
I thought the soup was excellent. For all the people who cant find Gnocchi, most grocery stores will sell it in a vacuum sealed pouch in the pasta section. Even Walmart sells it!! Try the whole wheat and sweet potato gnocchi too!!
I have been making this soup for 3 years now. But not from this site. This recipe is missing something fundamental. Flavour. I would suggest a tsp of thyme. Personally I also had just a hint of nutmeg and a Tbsp of sugar. I would always add these seasonings along with salt and pepper to the veggies once cooked and leave for a minute before adding anything else to let them infuse. Also I would suggest a quick chop to the spinach so you don't get long slimy strings. These changes will make it 5 stars.
I've made this twice in the past couple of weeks - once with gnocchi from the pasta aisle and once with the refrigerated stuff. We definitely preferred the refrigerated gnocchi! This soup has great flavor and consistency. My son declared that this is the best chicken soup he's ever had! It's a keeper!
Update 2/16/16: Made this tonight using a rotisserie chicken, 1 cup 1/2 & 1/2, 1 cup skim milk, and skipped the extra salt and corn starch. Simply amazing!!
Simply genius!
I ALWAYS get the chicken and gnocchi soup at Olive Garden with their salad and breadsticks. It's possibly my favorite restaurant meal. This is so similar to Olive Garden's recipe it's scary! I did try a few things different; but not much. I used about a cup or cup and a half more chicken broth because I made my own homemade gnocchis that my family has been making for YEARS and added about a tablespoon of flour to the soup after I poured in the half and half for a slightly thicker consistency. Turned out AMAZING. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!! I'm definitely keeping this one safe.
HOMEMADE GNOCCHIS
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for this recipe:
1 cup left over mashed potatoes (just butter and milk mashed potatoes)
1 cup flour
tsp salt
Mix all together with your hands and roll out like a snake and cut into cubes. Use these in place of the premade gnocchis and cook just like the recipe says.
For another recipe... you can make the gnocchis, boil for about 7 minutes and serve with warm marinara sauce.
This soup is SOO good. I did modify it a bit. Instead of 1 T of oo I used 4 T of butter & made a roux with 4 T of flour after cooking the veggies (omitting cornstarch). I added the carrots with the broth and added roasted chicken at toward the end of cooking. I also added about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and some spices (to the soup & chicken before roasting) -- thyme sage and paprika. Last time we went to Olive Garden my husband said he liked this recipe better. Hmmmm - did that just backfire on me?:-)
This soup is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly; however I did omit the cornstarch & water......it didn't need it. My grocery did not have the small gnocchi so I did cut mine in half.
This soup is delicious and perfet for a cool fall day! I did not use the cornstarch/water mixture. I used nonfat half and half and a rotisserie chicken and it was thick, creamy, and had a great flavor. Will make again.
I made it exactly as stated omitting the cornstarch (which I would recommend using). I am sorry but it lacked flavor. In retrospect it has very little seasoning in the recipe and I should have noticed that. I added 1 package of Lipton veggie soup mix to give it more flavor. Won't be making again.
