If you love the idea of a creamy dumpling soup but are low on time, a package of gnocchi is the shortcut you need!
Gnocchi + chickpeas + lots of veggies in a creamy, wine-spiked parmesan and herb broth = cozy soup perfection. The US based restaurant chain The Olive Garden made gnocchi soup a popular dish, but their version (and therefore all the copycat recipes out there) contained chicken. By swapping in chickpeas we make it vegetarian without losing out on protein!
This soup has everything you need to be a one bowl dinner. Bread for dipping is great but entirely optional. If you want a super quick salad to serve alongside, Chopped Caprese Salad with Pesto is a your best bet. If you have more time to dedicate to a salad, try this Vegetarian Italian Salad with Crispy Chickpeas.
How to Make This Soup in 30 Minutes
This weeknight friendly recipe can come together in around 30 minutes if you stagger the prep – just chop and prepare ingredients for one step at a time, and use the cook time to prepare the ingredients for the following step. It works well here because no one step is too time critical.
If that level of multitasking stresses you, and you’d rather do all of the prep ahead of time, give it 45 minutes.
What to know about the ingredients…
- This is a super flexible recipe and you can mix up the veggies to your heart’s content! I used carrots, leeks, mushrooms and spinach but onions, zucchini, corn, peppers, tomatoes, and kale would all be great. This recipe can change with the seasons.
- White wine is key for the flavor of the broth, but if you really can’t include it for any reason, use additional vegetable stock and then consider a twist of lemon + a couple grates of lemon zest at the end so that we still have an acidic element to cut through the richness.
- Dried packaged gnocchi is what works best for this recipe. It’s robust enough not to fall apart, and it leaches out starch as it cooks which makes the sauce a little thicker and silkier with no need for a roux.
More Easy Dinners with Gnocchi + Veggies
Creamy Vegetarian Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 10 oz (280 g) mushrooms, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp dried provencal herbs mix, or use a mix of thyme, sage, marjoram and oregano
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- ½ cup (120 ml) white wine
- 14 oz (400 g) canned chickpeas, drained
- 18 oz (500 g) dried packaged gnocchi
- 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable stock or broth
- ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy (double) cream
- ¾ cup (75 g) pecorino, parmesan or Italian hard cheese, grated
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach , chopped
Instructions
- In a medium – large stockpot or Dutch Oven, heat a layer of olive oil or a couple tablespoons of butter over a low heat. Add the carrots and leeks and saute for a few minutes, until they are starting to soften and reduce.2 leeks, 2 carrots
- Add the mushrooms and continue to saute the veggies until the mushrooms have released all of their liquid and reduced in the size – about another five minutes.10 oz mushrooms
- Add the dried herbs and garlic and saute for another minute or two, until fragrant.1 Tbsp dried provencal herbs mix, 1 tsp dried tarragon, 4 cloves garlic
- Now add the white wine to the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes until the harsh alcoholic smell goes away.1/2 cup white wine
- Add the chickpeas, vegetable stock, cream* and gnocchi to the pan. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5-10 minutes until the gnocchi is soft. I like to slightly overcook the gnocchi to get more of the starches leaching out into the broth, which thickens it and adds some extra silkiness. *If you are swapping in half and half or single cream, don't add it now – save it for the next step. Lighter creams might split if they're added too soon.14 oz canned chickpeas, 3 cups vegetable stock or broth, 3/4 cup heavy (double) cream, 18 oz dried packaged gnocchi
- Stir in the cheese until it's melted through.3/4 cup pecorino, parmesan or Italian hard cheese
- Finally, add the spinach and simmer until it is wilted.2 handfuls fresh spinach
- Serve, with additional cheese for topping if you wish.
