Foodie Friday: Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Breadsticks

One of my most favorite places to eat is Olive Garden.  Usually I get the Fettuccine Alfredo, and of course the salad and bread sticks.  One day, I deviated from my norm.  I decided to do the soup.  I tried the Chicken gnocchi soup and was instantly in love!!  I think I had at least 3 bowls of it, not to mention one of the big bowls of salad and an order of bread sticks.....I was a bit hungry =)  I decided that this was a soup I need to learn to make so I could have it anytime I wanted.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
14 oz chicken broth (I did 14 oz. water and 2 bouillon cubes, but you can use canned if you'd like)
1/2 cup celery, finely diced (about 1 large celery stalk)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, finely shredded (about 2-3 medium carrots)
1 cup onion, finely diced (about1 medium onion)
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1 tsp. Italian seasonings
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeses, optional
1 pound potato gnocchi (I had to go to several stores and get it but found it at Macey's in the pasta isle)






Get out a 6qt. pot.
Dice you celery, really fine or else it won't get soft.
Shred your carrots.

Finely dice your onions as well.

Add all the veggies to you pot.  Add butter, oil, and garlic.  Saute until onions and celery are soft.  
Add the flour to make a roux.  Let it cook for about 1 minute, while you stir so it doesn't burn.

Add the broth and spinach. 

 Mix well and let it simmer.  

While it is simmering, get out your gnocchi and cook it according to package directions.  It is usually boil for 


about 2-3 minutes or until they begin to float.  

Drain the gnocchi and add it to the soup, along with the chicken, milk and cream. 


 Let it simmer for about 15 minutes to get the flavors well blended.  sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.  You don't have to, but I highly recommend it.

The original recipe called for half and half instead of cream and milk, but I didn't have any so i substituted. I think my soup would have been a bit creamier if I had used half cream and half milk, but it still turned out good.  Also, I think next time I make it I am going to try and make my own gnocchi.  I didn't this time because I was being lazy (except I ended up having to go to 3 different stores so I might as well have just made it) and I didn't have enough potatoes.






Bread Sticks


4 c. flour
1 1/3 c. warm water
4 tsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast


2tsp butter, melted
garlic powder


Combine yeast, water and sugar.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, butter, and salt.  Add in the yeast mixture.  Knead on a floured surface.  Divide the dough into 12 pieces.  Roll out into snake-like logs.  cover and let rise for 45 minutes. 

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

 Brush the bread sticks with butter and bake for 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown.  Remove from oven, and brush with butter once more.  Sprinkle garlic powder, to taste, over top of the bread sticks. 

 Enjoy!  These taste great dipped in the soup!


I was very happy with how this turned out.  Usually when I make soups, the first time I make it it is just okay so I have to make it a few times before I am happy with it.  I think I got this the first time, even though I almost ruined it.  I went to put in the italian seasonings, and I have  ashaker that is similar that has cinnamon and sugar in it that I started to shake in it....luckily most of it got on the spatula.  I almost freaked but then I saw I didn't get hardly any in it and I calmed myself down.  I guess that should teach me to look closer and label my shakers better, huh?

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Foodie Friday:Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Hey friends sorry I have been hiding out in the scrapbooking world! :) I told the other girls to just schedule my days and then I would do it, but when I have to self motivate, well you already see what happens with that. Yep my post ideas and pictures back up and I never post. 

Trinity posted this exact recipe back in Feb 2012 but she deleted her pictures so I am going to post it again with a few variations and options. 

oh ya the reason you are getting this post in the middle of the summer is because there were a few rainy days and this sounded SO AMAZING and I made it and now I am craving it again.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1 C chicken breast, cooked and chopped

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

1 quart half and half or instead use 2 C heavy whipping cream and 2 C milk

1 14 oz can of chicken broth

1/2 C celery, finely diced (Thrive Food has celery freeze dried incase you don't have fresh on hand)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C carrots, finely shredded or chopped

1 C onion, finely diced

1 C fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (3/4 C-Thrive food freeze dried spinach that works amazing)

1 Tbsp extra virgin oil

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp parsley

1 lb potato gnocchi (find in the gourmet section of supermarkets, walmart has mini Gnocchi that rocks!!)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese-optional

Saute the onion, celery and garlic in the butter and olive oil. If you chopped the carrots saute them now if you shredded then you will add them later. Saute over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent then add the flour. Make the flour all pasted to the veggies and cook for another minute or two. Then add the 1 quart of half and half or cream/milk. Cook gnocchi in a separate pan as instructed on the package. Now into the cream base and veggies add the chicken, if you shredded carrots add them now. Let the mixture thicken and then add the chicken broth (I didn't use it all I kept my soup thick because that is how I like it). Now add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning, simmer until soup is heated through.

Pesto Chicken Tortellini

(my picture doesn't do this justice....it is very, very, very good!!!)

Now that the temps are heating up, who wants to stand over a hot stove and cook or turn the oven on to warm up the house even more?  Not I!  I love this recipe because it can be made ahead and served cold or you can do it warm.  This is a great dish to take to picnics, bbq's, or get togethers.  Especially since in a few months all those gardens everyone plants will be cranking out the veggies, here's a nice way to use them.  Speaking of veggies....since I wasn't blessed with a green thumb, if you find your garden runneth over....I would love to take any of the overabundance off your hands......even (especially) the zucchini!!!  I got the original recipe from a blog I love: One Crazy Cookie and then did my little changes to it.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more)

1/2 cup diced onions

1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered

1/2 cup ham, pepperoni, bacon or sausage (Optional)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 cup olives, sliced

1/2 cup pesto- maybe 3/4 cup if you like lots of sauce (homemade or you can make it from the packets)

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing 

Optional: shredded Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese

1 package frozen Tortellini, cooked according to package directions and drained- I used cheese tortellini

Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion, mushrooms and zucchini. Saute a few minutes on medium heat until onion becomes transparent and veggies are cooked.

Stir in chicken (or other meat if desired) and heat for just a few minutes. Add tortellini, tomatoes, olives, pesto and vinaigrette dressing. Stir to combine.

If desired garnish with a little shredded Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan.

You could use any type pasta and the veggies your family likes. This is a very versatile recipe.

Enjoy!! I also think it would be great served cold.

Most of the points come from the pasta.  The total point value for this would be about 26, add a few if you use the cheese, or if you use other meats.  I'm not sure the point value of the pesto sauce since it depends on what sauce you use, but I calculated mine at about 3 points (I didn't use nuts).   This will serve at least 5 for a big serving, but if you do it as a side dish, it would serve a lot.  So the overall points would be around 5ish points per serving or less if a side dish.  Not too bad.  Plus, this is a very low fat dish and stocked full of veggies!  You could lower the point value by taking out the chicken and then it would be around 21ish.

Print Recipe

Black Bean Enchiladas

These are SO GOOD! Last year for our family reunion, our family got together and made a family cookbook. This is my cousin's recipe, and they are DELISH! I did alter the recipe slightly. Her recipe calls for low fat, or fat free cream cheese. I went naughty and used regular. Fantastic!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. chopped onion 1 taco seasoning packet

2 minced garlic cloves 15 oz. can drained black beans

3/4 c. bottled salsa 1/3 c. Cream cheese

4 oz. shredded Cheddar 12 6-in. flour tortillas

1 10oz. can Enchilada Sauce

Cooked chicken or Beef

*Preheat oven to 350!

Heat a nonstick skillet with olive oil, and saute onion until tender. Stir in seasoning packet, garlic, beans and cooked meat, and cook 2 minutes. Stir frequently.

Stir in salsa and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and add cream cheese and 1/2 c. shredded cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Spread 1/3 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Arrange enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

**I tweaked this recipe by adding some canned corn, and tomatoes from my garden, then topped with a dollop of sour cream when they were done.**