Sometimes, you just want a taste of Olive Garden without actually having to leave your house. All you want to do is cozy up with your favorite soup and watch a show on TV – and that’s okay!
We feel you, and that’s why we are bringing you this incredible copycat recipe for Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup!
This soup is beyond delicious, and so easy to make. Anyone who knows where the kitchen is can make this, especially if you have store-bought gnocchi to use (yes, you could always try to make your own, too!).
You would never even know that this dish didn’t come straight out of the restaurant – it’s that good. So, if you would like to make this delightful dish, stick around. We will be going through everything you need to know right here.
Quick Answer
To make this copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup, you are going to need chicken, gnocchi, chicken broth, celery, garlic, carrot, spinach, heavy cream, olive oil, and some seasoning like thyme and basil.
All you need to do is prep your ingredients and sauté them before adding the rest of your ingredients. Allow everything to cook together for a few minutes, and serve fresh! It’s as simple as that – less than 45 minutes!
Easy And Delicious Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
This wonderful copycat dish is probably going to become a staple in your house, so you might as well start learning the recipe by heart.
Luckily, it’s super easy and quick, so you can even get your kids to help you out so they can learn the ins and outs of it, too.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Okay, there are really a dozen reasons why you could love this recipe, but we will try to keep things short and sweet here.
Anyone can make it – there is nothing difficult about this dish, and the most difficult part of the process is literally chopping the vegetables (and you can use devices to help with that!). No matter your skill level, you can get in the kitchen and get this delight out in no time.
Full of delicious flavors – the combination of gnocchi, chicken, heavy cream, garlic, and seasonings like basil and thyme means that this dish is full of all the best flavors out there. There is nothing not to love about this recipe!
You need less than 60 minutes – in total, you only need around 45 minutes to make the dish from start to finish, but you can cut this time down if you can get through the prep stage quickly! Feel free to prep what you can ahead of time.
The dish is fantastic for freezing – leftovers can be frozen to enjoy another time, so you don’t need to worry about making the perfect-sized portion. Enjoy it over a few days (or weeks) if you freeze it.
It’s an Olive Garden copycat recipe – do we need to say any more? Olive Garden has great food, so a copycat recipe is obviously going to be a winner.
What Ingredients Will You Need?
You do not need anything fancy to make this mouthwatering dish, and you probably have most things already sitting in your kitchen! Here is a list of ingredients that you are going to need:
Chicken (breast works well)
Olive oil
Heavy cream
Celery
White onion
Garlic cloves
Fresh spinach
Carrot
Chicken broth
Potato gnocchi
Thyme
Basil
Salt
Black pepper[[]]
Step-by-Step Instructions To Make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Here’s a super easy step-by-step guide that you can follow if you would like to make this soup in the comfort of your own home:
Prepare all your ingredients. This will involve grating the carrots, mincing garlic, and dicing your onion and celery. You can also cook and dice your chicken ahead of time so that it is ready to use.
Add your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion to a Dutch oven or pot along with some olive oil and sauté. Cook until the onions turn translucent (this should only take a few minutes).
Add your chicken and broth, along with your salt, pepper, basil, and thyme, and stir in.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the gnocchi. Make sure the pieces are not stuck together, so be sure to separate them if you need to, and stir them into the mixture gently.
Allow the mixture to boil for 3–4 minutes, then reduce it to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add your heavy cream to the mixture and stir it in.
Add your chopped spinach to the mixture, and allow everything to simmer for 2–3 minutes. The spinach should be nice and tender, but not overcooked.
Add more salt and pepper to taste according to your preferences and serve.
Feel free to garnish each serving with some chopped-up parsley, and enjoy!
Tips And Tricks
This recipe is super simple, so it’s hard to go wrong. However, there are one or two things that you might find yourself struggling with.
Let’s take a look at a few useful tips and tricks that you will want to keep in the back of your mind when preparing this dish!
Don’t Thicken It Until Your Gnocchi Is Cooked
This is especially important to note if you always find yourself adding cornstarch to thicken your dishes. The gnocchi (which is potato, not pasta) contains a lot of starch!
This means that as that gnocchi cooks, the scratches that seep out of it will slowly thicken your soup.
In other words – hold back on thickening your dish until the very end (if it’s necessary at all). If you add something like cornstarch too early on, you are probably going to end up with a slimy dish that isn’t going to be what you want.
You might find that you don’t need to thicken your soup at all if you allow the gnocchi to simmer with everything else.
However, if you do accidentally thicken your soup before the gnocchi gets added – don’t worry! In this case, the best thing to do would be to cook the gnocchi separately and add it right at the end.
This will prevent all the excess starch that seeps out from impacting the soup – crisis averted.
Don’t Be Afraid To Try Different Flavors
If you feel like being adventurous with your cooking, who is to stop you? The seasoning of this soup is very basic, we’re not going to lie. You can add a variety of herbs into the mix (like rosemary) for some added flavor.
Just be careful not to go over the top. You don’t want to overpower anything, but balance all the flavors in the dish. So, have your fun, but think about what you are adding, and contemplate whether it works for the overall feel of the dish.
If you want to add some spice to the dish, the best way to do this would be to use red pepper flakes. Try it out if you want something a little different!
It Doesn’t Have To Be Gnocchi
While the recipe is technically a gnocchi soup, it doesn’t actually need to be gnocchi! You can try different things like various kinds of pasta if you feel like it – it will work just as well.
Experiment with ravioli or tortellini if you like.
It’s your kitchen, so do what you want!
For A Lighter Dish, Skip The Cream
While we all love the creamy delight of the Olive Garden gnocchi soup, it doesn’t work for everyone. If you want to keep things a little lighter, you can opt for evaporated milk instead of cream.
Yes, the finished dish will be a little different, and you might actually need to thicken the soup (be careful with that), it has its place. It’s a good idea to do this if you know that you are going to be making this dish frequently because all that cream is not a good idea.
Use Chicken Thighs For Added Flavor
There’s no denying that chicken breast, while easy to work with, is not the tastiest part of the bird. The meat can be bland and dry, which can make an entire dish unappealing.
Because of this, we would almost recommend using thicken thighs instead! These are packed full of flavor, and they are still easy to use.
Sure, you will have to work around the bones, but you can easily purchase thigh fillets (or debone them yourself, it’s easy!).
You will see fantastic results with chicken thighs, and you will immediately notice a boost in flavor. Once you try it, you will never want to go back to chicken breast.
Recipe Variations: Simple Changes To Try Out
There are a couple of simple changes you could make if you want something a little different in your soup. Some of these can make the process a little different, but not by much.
Here are some variations you can try if you find yourself without some of the ingredients, or just feel like something different:
Instead of oil, you can use butter
Use different stock for the dish (you can make your own bone broth for added flavor)
Add different vegetables like sweetcorn, broccoli, peas, or anything else you like
Yes, they are small things, but you might find that you really love the variations. Adding in different vegetables is great if you know that you are not hitting your veggie quota for the day.
What Can You Serve This Dish With?
So, you’re making this killer dish, but what do you serve it with? We have some great suggestions that will pair wonderfully with this copycat Olive Garden gnocchi soup (Also check out Olive Garden Minestrone Soups).
Don’t feel like you need to stick to this list, either! There are plenty of options to try out.
Side dishes:
Olive bread
Beer bread
Mozzarella arugula salad
Pear salad
Drinks:
Cranberry mocktails
Homemade lemonade
Strawberry margaritas
Storing Leftovers
To store your leftover gnocchi soup, all you need to do is let it get to room temperature and store it in an airtight container. You can keep the soup in the fridge for up to five days (but try to eat it within 2–3 days if possible).
If you know that you are not going to be able to enjoy your leftovers within the week, it will be a good idea to freeze them. Just get a freezer-safe container and store it. It will be good for around three months before the quality of the food begins to diminish.
Remember, frozen food is technically safe indefinitely, but the longer it stays frozen, the more the textures and appearance are likely to change.
Reheating Leftovers
When you want to enjoy your leftovers, you just need to let them thaw in the fridge overnight before transferring it to a pot and heating it on the stove. Heat it over medium heat for 5–10 minutes until it is thoroughly heated, and enjoy.
Final Thoughts
This copycat Olive Garden gnocchi recipe is so easy, and a pleasure to make. If you love Olive Garden’s soups, then this is a dish that you will definitely love.
The flavors are incredible, and it’s the perfect dish to cozy up and watch your favorite movie with. Serve it with some of your favorite sides and drinks, and enjoy it with your family and friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does My Soup Always Turn Out Runny?
If you cooked the gnocchi with the rest of the ingredients, it shouldn’t end up runny. However, it does tend to thicken up when it cools down to room temperature.
If your soup is not as thick as you want it to be, thicken it yourself with some cornstarch. Just be careful with this!
What Exactly Is Gnocchi?
While you might initially think of gnocchi as some kind of pasta, it is made from potatoes! It’s often seen as more like a mini dumpling and is often referred to as potato gnocchi, just to clarify.
Gnocchi is made from mashed potatoes, eggs, and flour, and can easily be found in your local grocery store. If you feel up for it, you could even make your own gnocchi!
Can You Use An Instant Pot Or Slow Cooker To Make This Dish
Technically you could, but there’s no need considering this recipe takes less than half an hour to cook! However, you can use an instant pot if you like, the process won’t be too different, and you will still get great results.
Easy And Delicious Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Recipe by Lana RiveraCourse: Uncategorized
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Calories
300
kcal
Ingredients
Chicken (breast works well)
Olive oil
Heavy cream
Celery
White onion
Garlic cloves
Fresh spinach
Carrot
Chicken broth
Potato gnocchi
Thyme
Basil
Salt
Black pepper
Directions
Prepare all your ingredients. This will involve grating the carrots, mincing garlic, and dicing your onion and celery.
You can also cook and dice your chicken ahead of time so that it is ready to use.
Add your garlic, carrots, celery, and onion to a Dutch oven or pot along with some olive oil and sauté. Cook until the onions turn translucent (this should only take a few minutes).
Add your chicken and broth, along with your salt, pepper, basil, and thyme, and stir in.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the gnocchi. Make sure the pieces are not stuck together, so be sure to separate them if you need to, and stir them into the mixture gently.
Allow the mixture to boil for 3–4 minutes, then reduce it to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, add your heavy cream to the mixture and stir it in.
Add your chopped spinach to the mixture, and allow everything to simmer for 2–3 minutes. The spinach should be nice and tender, but not overcooked.
Add more salt and pepper to taste according to your preferences and serve.
Feel free to garnish each serving with some chopped-up parsley, and enjoy!
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
