Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

My daughter got her wisdom teeth removed. She has been eating Campbell soups for the past few days. So, one day I asked her if I could make her some soup besides Campbell's.  She hesitantly asked, if I knew how to fix the soup we normally order at the olive garden restaurant, Chicken & Gnocchi Soup.  I thought I could make it if I found the recipe online.  While searching the web, I came across several recipes, so I picked one that sounded good & easy to make.

Lucky for me, I already had some gnocchi in my pantry, in addition to all the other ingredients in my ref. It was very easy to make. The chicken & gnocchi recipe turned out pretty good. My daughter really enjoyed the soup as well as my hubby. I will definitely make the recipe again.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced

4 cups chicken broth (I boiled a whole chicken, saved the broth)

2 cups cream (I used half-half)

½ cup celery, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup carrots, finely shredded

½ cup onion, finely diced

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin oil

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon parsley

Freshly grated parmesan cheese - optional

1 pound potato gnocchi - can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets or find a recipe for homemade in the resource section

Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, spinach, carrots in the olive oil till the onion is nearly translucent.

Add the chicken, chicken broth, and spices. Bring to a boil.

Slowly add the gnocchi into the boiling broth.

Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

(If you want a thicker soup, add 1 tablespoon corn starch to the cream before you add it into the broth). Add the cream. Slowly allow the mixture to come to a boil and then turn it off.

Serve in heated bowls. You may wish to serve with freshly.

Recipe courtesy by ehow.com: How to Make Chicken and Gnocchi Soup - Just Like Olive Garden | eHow.com