Well, it’s Sunday, it’s raining, and it feels like it’s been raining for days on end around here. I know a lot of people are fussing about the rain but I’m Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed and for the rain which my flowers needed. Plus, this Summer we will be wishing we had the rain. I just wish I had a rain bucket to catch some of it in for my flowers.
At this point, I may have to build an ark like Moses did! LOL. I’m beginning to feel sorry for the poor old ducks because they’re probably wondering if they’re supposed to be swimming in the backyard instead of walking around it. And my frogs? They’re probably slip-sliding away out there somewhere.
But honestly, a rainy Sunday is the perfect excuse to make a big pot of soup. Last night I made my homemade potato, cheese, and bacon soup, and everybody loved it. There is just something about homemade soup when the weather is cold, wet, and dreary outside.
It makes the whole house smell good and somehow makes a rainy day feel a little cozier. But today I started thinking about another favorite around here. Chicken and gnocchi soup. If you’ve ever eaten at Olive Garden, you probably know exactly the soup I’m talking about. Charlie’s all-time favorite soup from Olive Garden is their chicken and gnocchi soup, and I thought today would be the perfect day to see if I could find a copycat recipe and make it at home.
So that’s what I’m doing. And now I’m asking you to help me out. Do You Have a Favorite Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Recipe? If you have a chicken and gnocchi soup recipe that your family loves, would you share it with me? I would love to try different versions and see which one becomes our family favorite.
If you don’t have a recipe to share, I’ve included one below that you can try. If you make it, come back and tell me what you thought about it! And while you’re at it, tell me: What do you serve with your soup? I was thinking some nice, crusty French bread would be really good with chicken and gnocchi soup.
But if I know Charlie, he’d probably vote for garlic toast. And honestly, I can’t blame him. In our home a Rainy Day calls for comfort food and poor David is at the airport working through all this rain today. He told me it’s going to be a late night because four people called in.
So he may come home and go straight to bed. I don’t even know if he’ll eat when he gets home, although I know he likes chicken and gnocchi soup too. The only person I have to worry about possibly not liking it is Gerald. But there’s plenty of leftovers downstairs, so I’m sure he can find something to eat.
If not… I’m sorry. I had to work today. David had to work today. And David told me to make it a fend-for-yourself day. So I’m taking that literally to heart! LOL. Sometimes that’s just how Sundays go around here which makes me greatful, thankful and blessed.
Copycat Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Here’s the recipe I’m trying today. It’s the kind of soup that sounds perfect for a rainy afternoon, and I’m hoping it lives up to Charlie’s favorite Olive Garden version.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
- Gnocchi
- Chicken broth
- Half-and-half or heavy cream
- Carrots, diced
- Celery, diced
- Onion, diced
- Garlic
- Spinach
- Butter
- Flour
- Salt and pepper
- Italian seasoning
Directions:
Start by cooking the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in a little butter until the vegetables begin to soften. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it around with the vegetables to make a simple roux. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring as you go so everything comes together smoothly. Add the cooked chicken and seasonings, then let the soup simmer until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the half-and-half or cream and add the gnocchi. Cook until the gnocchi are tender. Add the spinach toward the end and let it wilt into the soup. Give everything a good stir, taste it, and adjust your seasonings.
Then grab yourself a bowl, some crusty bread or garlic toast, and enjoy!
What Would You Serve With Chicken and Gnocchi Soup?
This is where I need your help. Would you serve:
- Crusty French bread
- Garlic toast
- Homemade biscuits
- Salad
- Crackers
- Something else?
Leave me a comment and tell me what your family serves with soup.
And if you have a favorite chicken and gnocchi soup recipe, please share that with me, too!
Since today is turning into a soup kind of Sunday, I’m going to keep adding some of our favorite soup recipes here. This will become my little Rainy Day Soup Guide, because around here, you never know when we’re going to get another week of rain and need something warm and comforting for dinner!
I’ll be adding: Potato, Cheese & Bacon Soup – the homemade soup I made last night that disappeared pretty quickly. Chicken & Gnocchi Soup – Charlie’s favorite and today’s rainy-day experiment.
More Family-Favorite Soups Coming Soon!
So if you have a soup recipe that your family makes over and over again, send it my way. I may just add it to our rainy-day soup collection. Because sometimes the best recipes aren’t the fancy ones. They’re the ones somebody makes when it’s raining outside, everybody is hungry, and you’re standing in the kitchen thinking… “What can I make with what I’ve got?” And those are usually the recipes worth sharing.
Chicken & Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
- Gnocchi
- Chicken broth
- Half-and-half or heavy cream
- Diced carrots
- Diced celery
- Diced onion
- Garlic
- Fresh spinach
- Butter
- Flour
- Salt and pepper
- Italian seasoning
Directions
- Cook the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in butter until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir with the vegetables to make a simple roux.
- Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring as you pour so the soup comes together smoothly.
- Add the cooked chicken and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper.
- Let the soup simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the half-and-half or cream.
- Add the gnocchi and cook until tender.
- Stir in the spinach near the end and let it wilt into the soup.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.
What Would You Serve With It?
I’m thinking crusty French bread would be delicious.
Charlie would probably vote for garlic toast, though!
My kitchen question: What does your family serve with soup?
What is your family’s favorite rainy-day soup?
Grateful. Blessed. Thankful.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
