There’s something so perfect and hearty about this sausage and gnocchi soup. I think you’ll want it on repeat during the cold weather months.
The truth? I wish I had made a double batch of this soup. We really enjoyed it all week long. There wasn’t much left over, but I did freeze some. However, I found myself pulling it out to defrost more quickly than I’d anticipated. It’s just that good; it’s pretty much like a warm hug, in soup form.
If you’re a fan of the Olive Garden, this sausage and gnocchi soup might look or taste a little familiar; it’s loosely inspired by their chicken gnocchi soup. However, our version has more veggies and you can customize it more to your liking, naturally!
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What’s in Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup?
Well, for starters, it’s Italian sausage, onions, carrots, and spinach. Find yourself some packaged gnocchi, which can be found in the pasta section of your grocery store; sometimes it’s refrigerated or frozen. Do you have broth (water works, too!), a little bit of cream, and a bit of flour? Good! Those will help provide the backbone for this soup. Herbs, yes, delicious herbs, always. Fresh is ideal but dried work, too. Bread on the side is optional, but always recommended.
This is almost a one-pot meal. The only extra step involves cooking the gnocchi on the side while the soup simmers, then you add the cooked gnocchi to the soup.
How to substitute and customize this sausage and gnocchi soup
Any of the following would also work in this recipe: Mushrooms, peas, corn, chopped green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, sSwiss chard, cabbage, parsley, or dill. Fennel won’t hurt, either; this is an Italian soup, after all. You can also use other types of onions, or try leeks or shallots instead.
What kind of sausage to use in this soup
We used a straight-up sweet Italian sausage, but go ahead and use a chicken or turkey sausage. Make it spicy if you want—chorizo, anyone?—and add some paprika or a dash of chili powder. Smoked paprika would give it a different vibe, too.
Don’t want sausage? Totally fine! I suggest adding shredded chicken. You can use the method from our chicken soup recipe. It will hold up the best in this soup.
What to use instead of gnocchi
If gnocchi isn’t your favorite, use any short pasta that you enjoy instead Tortellini is another classic ingredient with a soup like this. But you could also use white beans very easily, or orzo, elbow macs or even rice.
You could also add chopped potatoes if you don’t want to use pasta!
Chicken broth or chicken stock?
Yup, there is a difference between the stock and broth. Broth is usually made with seasoned liquid that had meat cooked in it at some point. Stock is made strictly from animal bones (without the meat) with unseasoned liquid.
For this recipe, we’re using broth. But if you bought chicken stock instead of broth, it’s totally fine.
Feel like making croutons?
Take some fluffy bread (I used an Italian roll), cut it into 1-inch diameter cubes, drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven at 350 F until they get crispy or start to dry out. This should take about 20 minutes.
Other great meal prep soup recipes
- Hearty Tomato Lentil Soup
- Veggie White Bean Soup
- Budget Vegan Lentil Minestrone
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
How to Store and Reheat
This soup is good in the fridge for up to 5 days. It reheats best in the microwave or on the stove. Keep croutons separate at room temp if you make them.
You can freeze this soup for up to 6 months in an airtight container, and even longer if you use something like Souper Cubes to freeze it in to avoid freezer burn. If you freeze it, you can thaw it in the fridge overnight, in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
Happy prepping!
Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (sweet or spicy, your preference!)
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrot diced, about 1 cup
- 1 celery stick diced, optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 4 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream or milk of your choice
- 10 oz spinach fresh or frozen
- 1 lb package of gnocchi
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high flame. Add sausage and cook until brown while breaking up the large pieces, 5-8 minutes. Once the sausage is almost done, add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- While the sausage cooks, bring a pot of water to boil for your gnocchi.
- Add onion and carrots into the pot with the sausage and cook until onion becomes translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, sage, thyme, mustard powder and paprika and mix.
- Add flour and mix, cooking for about 2 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Slowly add broth 1 cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and bubbly between each addition.
- Cook gnocchi according to package instructions.
- Add half and half to soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add spinach, stirring until wilted. Add cooked and drained gnocchi. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with crusty bread or as is.
Midory Sainz says
I have never tried gnocchi and I am not a huge Italian sausage fan, BUT THIS IS A GAME CHANGER! Seriously, full of flavor and so delicious! Next time around, I’ll use a variation of veggies!
Morgan Clarkson says
Fabulous recipe, absolutely delicious. Better than Olive Garden. Tried it with the spicy sausage. Will try sweet next time as my husband does not handle spice as well as me, but to me it is perfect with the spicy sausage. Best recipe I have tried so far!