I’ve been meaning to try this copycat recipe for a very long time – like years.

I don’t know what took me so long to get around to making it, but I can say the cold chill and gray skies had me craving warm, comforting soup, motivating me to finally give it a go.

And I am so happy I did because this homemade version is insanely delicious – and dare I say better than the restaurant original.

I’m talking about Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup.

If you’ve never experienced a bowl, close your eyes and imagine a rich, creamy broth speckled with tender bites of chicken, pillowy gnocchi and delicate shreds of carrots, celery and spinach.

It’s flavorful and satisfying, and the best part is that it is completed in less than 30 minutes.

This one-pot soup starts by sautéing garlic, onions, carrots and celery until softened. Flour is stirred in, followed by chicken broth, nutmeg, thyme and diced cooked chicken.

The soup is brought to a boil, then the gnocchi is added. It simmers for 10 minutes before the final additions of cream and spinach are stirred in this soup.

You’ll want to serve it with fresh-baked breadsticks, or crusty French bread, something to soak up the addictively delicious broth.

A Costco rotisserie chicken is perfect for this recipe. Any leftover chicken can be used, too, whether it’s grilled, fried, or baked.

If you aren’t familiar with gnocchi (pronounced nyow-kee), it’s a variety of pasta that’s traditionally made from potatoes and shaped like a small dumpling.

I used store-bought gnocchi that’s found in the pasta aisle. It also comes frozen, or if you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own.

CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
2 carrots, grated, about 1 cup
1/4 cup onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups cooked chicken, small diced
16 ounces gnocchi, frozen or fresh
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups fresh baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat, then add in the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the flour; then the chicken broth, nutmeg, thyme, and chicken. Bring to a boil, then stir in gnocchi. Boil for 3-4 minutes longer before reducing heat to a simmer and cooking for 10 minutes.
Stir in the cream and spinach, and cook for 2 minutes more, until spinach is tender and gnocchi is cooked thru.
Serve hot with breadsticks.

Adapted from carriesexperimentalkitchen.com