Roasted Chicken Gnocchi Soup

When I was pregnant, I was brilliant enough to have braces at the same time.  FYI: that equals torture.  You're already limited in what you can eat because you're so nauseated, but to complicate things now you can't chew anything because it hurts too bad.  After a visit to tighten my braces, I was pretty much starving for a couple of days.  One evening my husband took me out to Olive Garden.  I usually get the salad because it's amazing, but I decided on soup because I thought I wouldn't have to chew it too much.  I chose the roasted chicken gnocchi and I was blown away!  It could be because I hadn't eaten much for a couple days, but it was like a bowl of heaven.  And that's where we'll end the story because the rest of my night was, well, less than delightful and you don't want to know the details.  I promise.

I am so happy to have found this recipe to make it at home.

1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
2 14 ounce cans of chicken broth
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (I prefer to use half the meat from a grocery store rotisserie chicken.  Less work and tastes more like the roasted chicken used in Olive Garden's soup)
1 package gnocchi, cooked  (I found this in the pasta section of Walmart)
1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In large pot, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions in a separate pot.

Into the half and half mixture, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning; simmer until soup is heated through.  Add additional salt to taste (it definitely needs it).
Recipe: CopyKat