Veggie and Gnocchi Soup

Ever been to Olive Garden and had their Chicken and Gnocchi soup? If yes, this is very, very, very similar to that. I used only vegetables because I was too lazy to thaw out frozen chicken, but you can easily throw some in there and it would taste fantastic. Hope you enjoy this creamy, hearty, delicious, tasty soup as much as I did.

Ingredients

1 cup diced, cooked chicken (optional)
4 TBS butter
1 TBS e.v.o.o
4 TBS flour
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 an onion diced (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1 quart half & half
2 cups veggie or chicken broth
3 large carrots sliced or diced
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
3/4 tsp salt (add more if needed)
1 pound potato gnocchi ( you can usually find this in the pasta isle or gourmet sections)

Here is what gnocchi looks like. The first one is of the packaging, I forgot to actually take one with it in there. And the second is the gnocchi. Looks a little weird but it's really yummy. Tastes like a dumpling.


In a large stock pot saute butter, oil, garlic, onions and celery. Once onions and celery are soft, whisk in your flour to make a roux. Let the flour cook for about a minute. Now slowly add in your cream. If you add your cream too fast it'll leave little flour clumps that are impossible to get rid of, so when I say slowly, I mean slowly :) Now bring to a boil and continue whisking for a minute. Reduce your heat to med/low and continue mixing until roux has thickened.
Add in your veggies and/or cooked chicken. Next mix in your broth and continue to stir. Once your mixture has thickened again add in spinach and seasonings.
Now cook your gnocchi according to the package. Once cooked (should only take about 2-3 minutes) add it to your soup and let it simmer for a few minutes. Once you've completed those steps you're ready to dish up and enjoy!