Are you craving soup?  This creamy sausage and gnocchi soup is the answer.  You can enjoy eating this delicious soup in one hour, which is pretty fast for a hearty soup.

How can you make this soup healthier?

• Use evaporated milk to reduce the fat.
• Make this vegetarian by using vegetable stock, omit the sausage, and add white beans.
• If you don’t eat pork, substitute with ground turkey and add paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and fennel.

How do you make this gnocchi soup in the crockpot?

• Saute the sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet.
• Put the sausage, onion, garlic, stock, pimentos, bay leaves, and spices in the crock pot.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 hours.
• Skim fat off the soup.
• Add gnocchi and cook for 5 minutes or until they float on top.
• Add kale and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until wilted.
• Shut off the heat, then stir in the cream.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

How to Make Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

Prep all the ingredients.  Grate the cheese, mince the garlic, chop the onion, and take the thyme leaves off the stems.

Saute the onion in oil until soft and starting to turn color, roughly 6 minutes, then add the garlic.  Cook until fragrant.

In a separate skillet cook the Italian sausage for 6 minutes.  If you want, drain then add to the onion mixture.  (FYI, draining the sausage will reduce the fat by 1 tablespoon and will give you a cleaner looking soup.)  For these pictures, I chose not to drain the hot Italian sausage.

Add the chicken broth, pimentos, bay leaves, and spices, then stir.  The red color is from the paprika in the hot Italian sausage.

Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  If you want, skim the fat off the top.

Turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook the gnocchi for 3 minutes or until it floats on top.

Add the kale, stir, and cook until wilted, roughly 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour in the heavy cream.

Stir until well combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Transfer to a serving bowl.  Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Pro Tips

• Want to make it in one pot?  Cook the sausage first for 3 minutes, then add the onions.
• Don’t like kale?  Substitute it for spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, or mustard greens.
• Want the soup to be creamy in color?  Drain the sausage in a colander and rinse off excess fat.
• Want it thicker?  Make a roux after cooking the sausage and veggies.
• Want it more colorful?  Add canned diced tomatoes or shredded carrots.
• Want to freeze it?  Just leave out the cream.  Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge, then add the cream.

These other crave-worthy soups will warm you from the inside out.

• Classic Minestrone Soup: this healthy Italian soup is so mouthwatering, you won’t notice it’s vegetarian.
• Homemade Zuppa Toscana: potatoes, bacon, and cream make this Olive Garden-style soup a real treat.
• Traditional Dublin Coddle: this simple, one-pot soup coddles (cooks) on the stovetop for an easy meal.

Did you make this sausage and gnocchi soup?  We’d love to hear how you enjoyed it in the comments below.

Creamy Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

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• Author: Brooke
• Prep Time: 28 minutes
• Cook Time: 32 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10 cups
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Creamy sausage and gnocchi soup is a low carb Italian recipe that’s similar to its Olive Garden cousin.  This healthy comfort food for families is easy to throw together for a simple weeknight meal, and would make a delicious addition to a fall party menu for a crowd.  Either way, it’s sure to please both young and old.

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped (130g)
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage (453g)
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1.4 liters)
• 1/4 cup diced pimentos (52g)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound gnocchi (453g)
• 4 cups fresh kale, chopped (53g)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (236 ml)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (30g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

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Instructions

1. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  It should take about 6 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, then add the chopped onion and saute for 6 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one or two minutes.
3. Add the cooked sausage to the sauteed onion.  Stir in the chicken broth, pimentos, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the gnocchi and cook until it floats, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the kale and cook until it is wilted, about 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.  Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Keywords: kale, Olive Garden