This healthier Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a total Olive Garden copycat. It’s much lighter but still so creamy, hearty, and incredibly delicious. The whole family will LOVE it!
Let’s make a healthier version of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup at home, friends!
This soup may be one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. I’m so serious. It’s SO flavorful and so so cozy—and I’m going to need you to make it right now! I am so happy with how it turned out!! It makes me feel so good that I can enjoy one of my favorite soups in a healthier way. 🙌🏼
To lighten up this Chicken Gnocchi Soup, I used low-fat evaporated milk instead of half and half. This helps cut back on some of the fat. I also snuck in some extra vegetables to make each serving more voluminous while keeping calories down.
What I love most about this soup is that everything comes together quickly in just one pot! The prep will go even quicker if you use a tool like this Fullstar Vegetable Chopper to dice your veggies. I found it on Amazon and it’s a REAL game changer.
This soup will quickly become a weeknight staple that the whole family will love—especially the kids!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP
- So incredibly CREAMY and FLAVORFUL!
- Great weeknight meal!
- Easy to follow recipe that comes together quickly.
- Only ONE pot required. Easy recipe = easier clean up! 🙌🏼
- Significantly lightened up from the traditional version.
- Truly a family favorite. Everyone will LOVE this soup!
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken breast – Juicy and tender chicken adds a lot of protein and flavor.
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Vegetables – I used carrots, celery, onion, frozen cauliflower, and baby spinach!
- Cornstarch – This will help thicken the soup.
- Evaporated milk – This is what we’ll use to make the soup creamy instead of the half and half. I used low fat evaporated milk.
- Seasonings – Grab some Italian seasoning, celery salt, salt, and pepper.
- Garlic cloves – freshly minced garlic adds sooo much flavor!
- Chicken broth – You could also use vegetable broth.
- Potato Gnocchi – You can find this at your grocery store on the pasta aisle. It may also be in the refrigerated pasta section.
- Fresh parsley – For serving.
- Grated parmesan cheese – Also for serving!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP
- In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Then, add chicken and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add butter. As soon as it’s melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed so it does not brown.
- Then, stir in the Italian seasoning, celery salt, pepper, and garlic until combined.
- Splash two tablespoons of evaporated milk into a small bowl or cup. Add the cornstarch and whisk to form a cornstarch slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry, remaining evaporated milk, and chicken broth to the soup. Bring to a boil for a brief second to help thicken. Then, reduce heat, partially cover the pot, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the gnocchi and cauliflower. Continue to simmer with the pot partially covered until the gnocchi is tender and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chicken and spinach.
- Taste check and add additional salt, pepper, or seasonings as needed.
- Serve hot with a sprinkle of parmesan, parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper!
CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP FAQ
I haven’t tried another kind of gnocchi, but I don’t see why not! You could try the sweet potato or cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s and I’m sure it would taste delicious.
You sure can! I think an elbow or egg noodle would taste great.
Go for it. You could try crumbled turkey or even Italian sausage.
WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you try this chicken gnocchi soup and love it, please rate this recipe!
You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!
Creamy Lightened-up Chicken Gnocchi Soup (One Pot)
This healthier Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a total Olive Garden copycat. It’s much lighter but still so creamy, hearty, and incredibly delicious. The whole family will LOVE it!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (15g)
- 1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (15g)
- 3 large carrots, diced (250g)
- 3 large celery stalks, diced (140g)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (172g)
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch (24g)
- 2 (12-oz.) cans low fat evaporated milk (708g)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 32-oz. fat free chicken broth
- 16-oz. potato gnocchi
- 4.00 oz. baby spinach
- 3.5 cups frozen cauliflower florets (297g)
- Fresh parsley, for serving
- Grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- To a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. As soon as it is melted, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed so that it turns translucent but does not brown.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, celery salt, pepper, and garlic until combined.
- Splash two tablespoons of evaporated milk into a small bowl or cup. Add the cornstarch and whisk to form a cornstarch slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry, remaining evaporated milk, and chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a boil for a brief second (necessary for thickening), then reduce heat, partially cover the pot, and let simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Stir in the gnocchi and cauliflower. Continue to simmer with the pot partially covered, until the gnocchi is tender and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the chicken and spinach.
- Taste check and add additional salt, pepper, or seasonings as needed.
- Serve hot with a sprinkle of parmesan, parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper.
Notes
MFP entry: LFF Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- TO STORE: Refrigerate soup in an airtight storage container for up to 5-6 days.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze soup in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- TO REHEAT: Gently reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding splashes of broth or water as needed to thin the soup. You can also reheat leftovers in the microwave.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 heaping cup (264g)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 7.4gSaturated Fat: 2.9gCarbohydrates: 26.1gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 9.7gProtein: 24.8g
RECIPE OF THE MONTH CHALLENGE
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is the recipe of the month for February 2022! At the end of the month, I will pick a winner of the challenge to receive a $50 Amazon gift card! To enter the recipe of the month challenge:
- Make the recipe of the month– this chicken gnocchi soup.
- Tag me on instagram (@LaurenFitFoodie), if you have an instagram (if not, it’s cool!)
- RATE and REVIEW the recipe.
To leave a review, simply click on the stars in the recipe card OR scroll to the bottom of the page where you see comments, and hit the tab right next to it (reviews).
I will pick a winner at the end of the month! Make sure to enter your email correctly! 😉
This soup is so yummy, especially on a cold day! Very very tasty 🙂
Too perfect on a chilly day! Glad you enjoyed it Kathryn 🥰
Really delicious!! So good on a cold day. It makes a lot but is easy to freeze and save for later. Definitely going to keep as part of my soup rotation!
This was amazing! My husband and I both loved it. We will definitely make this again!
Absolutely amazing! I used the cauliflower gnocchi from TJs and it made it even more macro friendly which is already impressive! Super good comfort food
This soup was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again!
This soup is EXCELLENT! The first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly ( with the exception of the cauliflower) and it was amazing. I was craving something warm on this rainy day so I decided to make it again. I had everything on hand except for chicken, 1 other can of evaporated milk and the gnocchi.
However, I did have potatoes, flour and eggs, so I made my own and oh man, it was so easy and way better than the store bought whole wheat gnocci I used in this recipe the first time! I also found that this doesnt really need the additional can of evaporated milk or the chicken. One more thing I added was a nice pinch of nutmeg and i think that really made it perfect for me.
This was exactly what I was craving and sans-chicken, will be a nice addition to my vegetarian days during the week. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!