Gnocchi soup with Italian sausage is the definition of comfort food. Tomatoes, gnocchi, sausage, and spinach all make up this flavorful soup making it a perfect dish for when the weather starts to cool down.
Personally, I cannot get enough of anything with gnocchi and so making gnocchi soup is a great way to satisfy that craving. When it comes to a hearty meal this soup comes right up on my list of recipes. The best part is that it is easy to make and tastes fantastic. This is the perfect soup to serve to the whole family and can be made for meal prep as well. As the weather cools down this is a perfect go-to meal for you.
In this recipe
This recipe does have quite a few ingredients, however all of them are easy to get ahold of and don’t take too much preparation time.
Italian Sausage: it is better if you can get ahold of the sausage that is just ground but not in a case. You can use sausage that is in a casing however you will need to remove it from the casing.
Gnocchi: you can use fresh, frozen or dried gnocchi for this recipe. If you don’t want to make it there are some stores that will sell fresh gnocchi.
Bay leaves: fresh bay leaves are best however you can use dried. These will add a unique flavor to the soup.
Prepping the vegetables
There are a couple of ways of going about making this recipe especially when it comes to how much time you have. You can get this recipe down to about 30 minutes if you happen to have a food processor. See further down to see how to get this done in 30 minutes. However, you will want to chop all of the vegetables about the same size. This will make sure they all cook at the same speed but also that your spoon will give you a nice bite of all of the vegetables.
Does bay even have a taste?
It really does and it really is tasty, well at least in my humble opinion. One of the best ways to draw out the flavor is not to add it once you add the broth but when you are sauteing the vegetables. The oil and high heat directly on the leaves really helps bring out their flavor. The oil does an excellent job with capturing the flavors to disperse among the vegetables. This is also why it is better to use fresh compared to dry as they might break up while stirring. It is important to make sure that the leaves share direct contact with the bottom of the pan to really get hot.
Cooking the gnocchi to perfection
One of the things to watch out for is overcooking the gnocchi. This can cause them to disintegrate when they are added to the soup. The best way to avoid this is to remove them from the water once they have started floating. Then afterwards you will add them to a pan with hot oil and sauté until they are browned on each side. This will give them a little texture when you add them to the soup and not just act like dumplings.
How to make soup in 30 minutes
You can make this soup in 30 minutes if you are pressed for time, but you will need a food processor and not be as concerned with the size of the vegetables. To get this done in 30 minutes you will need to turn on the water at the same time you heat the oil for the sausage. In a food processor add the onion, carrot, and celery together. Pulse until they have been chopped.
Cook the sausage until it has browned, remove from the pot with a spider skimmer or slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add the vegetables and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. While the vegetables are cooking chop the tomatoes and garlic and set aside. Once the onion is soft add the garlic, thyme and pepper, and cook for another minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, and sausage.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Once you cover the soup add the gnocchi to the boiling water. At this time on another burner heat the remaining oil. Once the gnocchi start floating remove them from the boiling water and put them in the pan with the hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Add the gnocchi and spinach and stir.
Storing the gnocchi soup for later
If you are planning on making this for meal prep or to eat over several day then you will want to portion the broth out before adding the gnocchi. Then only add the gnocchi to the soup you are planning on eating at that time. Place the rest of the cooked gnocchi into an airtight container. Then add that gnocchi when you are ready to eat. This will keep the gnocchi from getting too mushy in soup overnight. The best way to enjoy this heaty soup is with nice soft gnocchi!
Looking for other soup recipes?
Gnocchi Soup with Italian Sausage
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
- Pan
- Saucepan
- Spider skimmer or slotted spoon
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound Italian sausage ground, casing removed
- 1 pound gnocchi
- 28.5 ounce San Marzano tomatoes tomatoes removed, chopped, discard sauce
- 8 ounces spinach chopped roughly
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup carrot chopped
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat add the Italian sausage and 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and cook until brown.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Remove the sausage using the slotted spoon or spider skimmer add the onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Cook until the onions and leeks are translucent, and the bay is fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Add the chicken broth and tomatoes to the vegetables along with the sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, heat a pan with the remaining oil, cook the gnocchi according to package instructions in the water. Remove them from the water with a spider skimmer or slotted spoon when they float add to the pan and sauté until they get golden brown.
- Add the gnocchi and spinach to the soup and serve.
Nutrition
