Olive Garden's Chicken (Homemade) Gnocci Soup

I was out to lunch one day and tried this soup...it was AMAZING! Later that week this recipe popped up so I knew I had to try it!

This does include a recipe also for homemade gnocci, but you can buy your favorite brand!

Chicken Gnocci Soup-shared from Brenda's Canadian Kitchen
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp flour
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt half and half
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chicken, chopped
1 lb gnocci*
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
pamesan cheese

Place butter and oil in large kettle and allow to melt and get warm. Add in veggie and saute for about 5 mins or until onions are translucent. Stir in flour and let cook for one min. Add in half and half, stir to combine. Add in chicken. Stir.Once mixture becomes thick add in chicken broth, once thickened again add the cooked gnocci and seasonings, continue cooking until heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cook gnocci according the package or recipe directions.

**This soup was REALLY good! K went back for seconds, but I honestly can't remember how it compares to OG's but it is still very tasty!

Homemade Gnocci(via Foodnetwork)

This might sound hard, but they actually are not! The most time consuming part is "shaping" them, which I attempted, but then I figured they are going in the soup so I didn't really care about the shape. It also would have helped if I had the right kind of fork clean!

I did have to add some water to get my dough to form, although the recipe DID not call for water. I was mixing it and basically just had crumbs, so if this happens add just enough water to form a soft dough. I baked my potatoes so that may have been where I had trouble, less moisture was in them.

4 potaoes, cooked(recipes said to boil them)

1 1/4 cups flour plus 2 tbsp

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp fine salt

dash or two of nutmeg

pepper

water if needed

Run potatoes through a ricer. Or grate on the finest tooth on a box grater. Add in rest of the ingredients and lightly stir to form a soft dough. DO NOT over mix as this will make them tough.

Divide dough into six pieces. Roll dough into 3/4" width snake. Cut into pieces about 3/4" big. *Leave as is...or place a large salad fork at a 45 degree angel. Holding the dough with the finger and thumb gently push the dough over the back of the fork and down. This should cause the dough to have lines and a little divot on the other side.

Place on cookie sheet and continue until all dough is complete. Place in fridge and allow to rest for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt water.  Place gnocci in boiling water and let cook 1-2 mins or until they rise to the top. Remove and drain excess water. Do not over cook gnocci as it will cause them to get tough.

**Considering this was the first time I've made them they were pretty good! The salted water is a plus and the nutmeg made them delicious!