Healthy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
My family loves this Chicken Gnocchi Soup – inspired by Olive Garden but healthier! Filled with protein, veggies and nutrition, perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather.
A couple of weeks ago my entire family got hit with a funky cold that was going around. It was not fun at all and I’m thankful it’s behind us. All 3 of my kids were home missing school, and then my husband came home sick from work on Wednesday night, just as I was making this Chicken Gnocchi Soup for dinner, the timing couldn’t have been better I guess you could say.
My kids aren’t huge soup people (though from the amount of soups that I post here, I obviously am). Both my kids discovered their love of the Chicken Gnocchi Soup at Olive Garden not long ago during one of our soup, salad and breadstick fixes and I knew that it was a soup I was going to have to make for them at home. They love gnocchi and when I found some adorable mini gnocchi at the grocery store the other day I knew it was time to make some soup.
How to make healthy Chicken Gnocchi Soup without half & half or heavy cream?
So here’s the thing, the soup at Olive Garden seems to have a cream base to it and I’m not so crazy about that. I decided to experiment and make a chicken gnocchi soup without half and half or cream and instead added a can of mashed cannellini beans to the soup to thicken it up. Success! No one (still) has any idea there were beans in this soup (in fact my 11 year old specifically mentioned that he loved my soups when they don’t have beans or tomatoes – spinach is okay though!). The mashed white beans added a subtle “creaminess” to the soup, not to mention nutrition too.
My family loved this soup so much that I’ve made it 2 weeks in a row. Even my two year old gobbled up a couple of small bowls. Makes me happy to have a go-to soup that I know everyone loves!
This is one of those family favorite dinners that are on the same list as Cheesy Southwest Beef Potato Skillet and Mexican Baked Pasta!
Hope you have a great week and are staying healthy!
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinIngredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 – 1.25 lb chicken breast
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 can Bush’s Cannellini Beans
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 handfuls spinach, torn
- 1 package mini gnocchi
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed soup pot. Add celery, onion and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add whole chicken breasts, chicken stock, water and carrots to the pot, season with a big pinch of salt and pepper, increase heat to medium high and bring to a slow boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes then reduce to medium low heat and let simmer.
- Open your can of cannellini beans and drain off top liquid. Using a fork, mash beans in can (or if you find easier, use a bowl) until they are completely mashed into a puree. Add beans along with dried thyme and parsley to soup.
- Let soup continue to cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken breasts are fully cooked. Carefully take chicken breasts out and place onto a cutting board. Let cool for a minute. Slice and chop chicken breasts into small pieces and add back into soup. At this time add spinach and package of mini gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook for 5 more minutes, taste and adjust for seasoning and serve.
I’m looking forward to trying more copycat Olive Garden soups like this Crockpot Pasta e Fagioli and this Zuppa Toscana Soup!
Find more soup recipe inspiration on my Soup Pinterest board:
Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Soup {to warm up my belly!} on Pinterest.
More healthy soup recipes to try:
Italian Orzo Soup with Meatballs
Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup
Are you following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? If you’d like to subscribe to Aggie’s Kitchen and have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box, then please add your email here. Happy cooking!
There are affiliate links in this post. I make small earnings through any purchases made through these links. Thank you for supporting Aggie’s Kitchen!
YUM! I’m all about soup all the time :). The sickies are going around like crazy. J is down with a cold right now and I got a really nasty tummy bug on Sunday. Come on spring!
Sorry you’ve been sick, Aggie, but with yummy recipes like this, I bet everyone is healthy and back in the game! This looks fabulous!
Being sick is always a bummer. But soups like this are the silver lining!! This looks so cozy and comforting.
Being violently allergic to legumes, I would eat your chix soup eagerly. Pls don’t hide ingredients! No I don’t badger every hostess or waitstaff with my list of allergies now should I have to!
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been sick. I hope you’re all feeling better now. I like this gnocchi soup, and thankfully my kids aren’t picky when it comes to soups, so I’m pretty confident they’ll like this too.
Looks so yummy and tempting.
I think I’m going to have to try this soup and the orzo soup with meatballs you shared! Soups are my thing.. even though the toddlers have no idea what to do with it!
Could I make this in a slow cooker?