Chicken Gnocchi Soup

What goes in

• 1/2 stick of butter, plus a spoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 package gnocchi
• 1 cup cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped spinach

How I make it

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a big pot. Cook down the onion, celery, and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the flour and cook a minute. Then whisk in the half-and-half and let it thicken, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken broth, salt, thyme, parsley, and nutmeg. Simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add the gnocchi, chicken, carrots, and spinach. Cook about 5 minutes, until the gnocchi is heated through.

The cream cheese pasta version

I have also done it as a cream cheese pasta dish, and it is amazing: same vegetables and chicken, the gnocchi seared in butter, and everything tossed in a cream cheese and milk sauce.

Notes from my kitchen

My husband Andy says this soup is better than Olive Garden's version. The boys are honestly meh about it, so this one is mostly for the grown ups, and the big pot means leftovers.

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