Creamy Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

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.

Questions

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 many calories are in this recipe?

For a 1 ¼ cup serving size, there is 434 calories and 32.8g of carbs.  This recipe is also high in vitamins A and C.  For more nutritional information, scroll past our recipe card.

How do you make this 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 top.
• 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

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.

Variations

• Don't like kale?  Substitute it for spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, or mustard greens.
• Want it more colorful?  Add canned diced tomatoes or shredded carrots.

Pro Tips

• Want to make it in one pot?  Cook the sausage first for 3 minutes, then add the onions.
• Want it to be creamy in color?  Drain the sausage in a colander, skim off excess fat near the end of cooking.
• Want it thicker?  Make a roux after cooking the meat and veggies.
• Want to freeze it?  Just leave out the cream.  Thaw this overnight in the fridge, then add the cream.

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

• Classic Minestrone Soup
• Homemade Zuppa Toscana
• Traditional Dublin Coddle

The pleasure of a 5 star review would be greatly appreciated.

Recipe

Creamy Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Brooke
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10 cups 1x

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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

Scale 1x2x3x

• 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)
• ¼ cup diced pimentos (52g)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1  teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound gnocchi (453g)
• 4 cups fresh kale, chopped (53g)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (236 ml)
• ½ 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.

Notes

• For one pot cooking, cook the sausage first for 3 minutes, then add the onions.
• Drain the sausage in a colander, pat with paper towel, and skim off excess fat near the end of cooking for a creamy colored soup.
• Make a roux after cooking the sausage and veggies if you want a thicker soup.
• Leave out the cream if you plan on freezing it.  When ready to use thaw in the fridge, then add the cream after reheating.

• Prep Time: 28 minutes
• Cook Time: 32 minutes
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: kale, Olive Garden