Olive Garden Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Vegetable Comfort Soup for Autumn (Instant Pot)
Any cool day is a good excuse to make this Olive Garden Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Vegetable Comfort Soup for Autumn in your instant pot! Why? Because it’s delicious and loaded with nutrients! This is one fall soup that you won’t want to limit to being a soup for autumn!
THE BEST COMFORT SOUP FOR AUTUMN
It’s not autumn as I write this post. But fall comfort foods are something that we should not limit to just three months a year, in my opinion.
I’m sitting here at my computer in sunny, cool Southern Brazil, which can sometimes feel like autumn, spring, and summer all in the same day. Soups for autumn here are (thankfully) quite common and easy to excuse anytime of year because of the fluctuating temperatures.
There is no Olive Garden creamy gnocchi chicken soup available here in this city, so this hungry mom has–of course–made her own copycat version. And I think that it tastes not just as good but better. Why? Because it uses pumpkin gnocchi.
OLIVE GARDEN CREAMY GNOCCHI CHICKEN SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT
One of the best-loved dishes from Olive Garden is their delicious Italian soup, creamy gnocchi soup. Did you know you can easily make this Olive Garden copycat at home? Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Vegetable Comfort Soup for Autumn in the instant pot is an easy weeknight meal. Every spoonful is full of gnocchi–much better than the minimal amounts served up in an Olive Garden creamy gnocchi soup!
And if you want to go above and beyond (or if you live overseas, as I do, and need a substitute), make your own Easy From-Scratch Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe. The addition of pumpkin in the gnocchi makes this soup extra flavorful and scrumptious!
FAQs ABOUT GNOCCHI
Gnocchi is a traditional Italian food that resembles the flavor of a noodle. Cooks make gnocchi by first mixing up the dough using potatoes and flour and other ingredients, then shape the dough into rectangular “pillows,” boil it in water, and fry it in oil. Gnocchi is easy to pair with many recipes, including sauces, soups, and meats. It also has a neutral flavor, which makes it perfect for experimenting with spices.
Gnocchi is available in many grocery stores in the frozen or refrigerated goods section. If you have an import store or an Italian store in your area, it’s almost a guarantee that you can find gnocchi there. It is also very easy to make homemade gnocchi, with a good recipe. If you have not yet tried a homemade pumpkin gnocchi recipe, you are missing out! Find an easy recipe for it here.
WHAT TO MAKE WITH LEFTOVER PUMPKIN PUREE
Do you have leftover pumpkin puree? No worries! Use it in these delicious recipes:
- Easy From-Scratch Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe
- Chocolate-Caramel Pumpkin Lava Muffins
- Throw the pumpkin puree into a vegetable soup or chicken soup
- Leftover pumpkin puree pancakes
- Leftover pumpkin puree soup
- Pumpkin pie (can’t leave this one off the list!)
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PUMPKIN GNOCCHI
- Mix together pumpkin puree, egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Add all-purpose flour to make a dough.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Pinch off bite-sized pieces of gnocchi dough and drop them into the boiling water. Boil for about 2-3 minutes, or until the gnocchi floats to the top of the water.
- Then fry the gnocchi in butter or oil to brown on both sides.
- Season with salt, ground black pepper, and sage, to taste.
The exact measurements for the recipe are in my post Easy From-Scratch Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe.
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS OF CREAMY GNOCCHI SOUP
Pumpkin Gnocchi: This is best when made homemade, in my opinion. The pumpkin base of the gnocchi adds flavor, where normal potato gnocchi is largely neutral in taste. Find a delicious, from-scratch homemade pumpkin gnocchi recipe here.
Vegetables: The vegetables within this Italian soup are easily customizable. While the recipe calls for spinach, carrots, onion, and red bell pepper, this Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Vegetable Comfort Soup for Autumn is also open and easily adaptable to many other autumn (fall) harvest vegetables. Other recommended vegetables include corn, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, various types of squash, and pumpkin.
Broth: Chicken broth or vegetable broth are both acceptable in this recipe, though a meat broth will add the most flavor. Since I usually do not have homemade chicken broth on hand, I usually use chicken bouillon and water. The added salt in the bouillon means that you need to keep an eye on the sodium levels in other ingredients.
Cream: Heavy cream makes this Olive Garden creamy gnocchi chicken soup the best! It’s thick and filling. If you do not have heavy cream on hand, you can also use whole milk and add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the soup broth.
Spices: Because this is an Italian soup, Italian spices are–of course–the theme. Basil and oregano lend an Italian flavor, while paprika and ground black pepper give Olive Garden creamy gnocchi chicken comfort soup a delicious spicy kick. As in the case of vegetables, this soup for autumn is also very adaptable to other dried herbs.
Chicken / Meat: The chicken in this recipe is subtly seasoned and tender. You can pre-fry it, if you wish, to add more flavor or skip this altogether and just let it soak in the juices of the soup.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN CREAMY CHICKEN GNOCCHI COMFORT SOUP
an organic bamboo cutting board
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST OLIVE GARDEN CREAMY CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP FOR AUTUMN IN THE INSTANT POT
- On the sauté setting of the Instant Pot, season the chicken with the chicken bouillon.
- Fry the chicken, red pepper, and onion in oil until the outside begins to change to white. (You don’t need to cook the chicken through, as it will finish cooking with the rest of the soup.)
- Cancel the sauté setting on the Instant Pot.
- Add the spinach, carrots, basil, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, pumpkin gnocchi, and chicken broth.
- Set the Instant Pot to the “soup” or “chicken” setting, or manually set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally when it is finished cooking.
- Open the lid and add milk, cream, and salt (to taste). As desired, add more chicken bouillon, basil, oregano, and/or black pepper.
- Serve hot.
HOW TO STORE GNOCCHI SOUP LEFTOVERS
To store leftover creamy gnocchi soup, you need to put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator immediately after the meal. Because the gnocchi will soak in even more of the juices as it sits, the texture will not be the same when it is reheated. If you wish to prevent this, you can store the gnocchi separately from the soup, spooning it out of the broth and keeping it in a different container. Creamy pumpkin gnocchi chicken soup should keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER GNOCCHI SOUP
To reheat leftovers of Olive Garden creamy gnocchi soup in the microwave, simply put it in a microwave-safe container, cover it with a paper towel to prevent splattering, and microwave it on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, checking it every minute or so. Each time you check the soup, stir it for even heating.
To reheat leftovers of this comfort soup for autumn, pour it into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating, for 4-5 minutes.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON OLIVE GARDEN CREAMY PUMPKIN GNOCCHI CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE SOUP (COMFORT SOUP FOR AUTUMN IN THE INSTANT POT)
What could be easier than an instant pot soup? (Of course, excepting take-out. Ha.)
This Olive Garden creamy chicken gnocchi soup is the best comfort soup for autumn, and I hope you like it too.
When you give it a taste-test, be sure to snap a photo and tag @myhome.yourhome.ourhome on Instagram and Facebook. I’d love to see!
Olive Garden Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Vegetable Comfort Soup for Autumn (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 carrots, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion, cut into small pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 1 cup fresh spinach, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups prepared pumpkin gnocchi, boiled, fried, and seasoned
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp garlic powder or 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or 1 cup water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- 2 Tbsp light oil (canola or olive), for frying
Instructions
- On the sauté setting of the Instant Pot, season the chicken with the chicken bouillon. Fry the chicken, red pepper, and onion in oil until the outside begins to change to white. You don't need to cook the chicken through, as it will finish cooking with the rest of the soup.
- Cancel the sauté setting on the Instant Pot.
- Add the spinach, carrots, basil, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, pumpkin gnocchi, and chicken broth.
- Set the Instant Pot to the "soup" or "chicken" setting, or manually set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally when it is finished cooking.
- Open the lid and add milk, cream, and salt (to taste). As desired, add more chicken bouillon, basil, oregano, and/or black pepper. Serve hot.
Notes
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