Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup {Olive Garden Style}

This is a hearty, comforting soup laden with pillow-y potato gnocchi, tender chunks of chicken, fresh spinach and shredded carrots. The broth is rich, creamy and ultra decadent.  This recipe is based off of a popular soup at Olive Garden. Making it at home is simple and satisfying. {Plus, you'll probably end up with leftovers ... and that's always a good thing when it comes to soup.}

If you're not familiar with gnocchi, they are Italian-style mini dumplings made from cooked potatoes and flour. You can find a plethora of recipes online if you'd like to make you own, but pre-made gnocchi are easily found in most grocery stores these days. Buying them ready-to-use is a total timesaver and there are some pretty good quality ones out there from which to choose.

Typically, packages of gnocchi can be located in the dry pasta aisle. But, gnocchi can sometimes be found frozen and even fresh at specialty markets.

In my household, we prefer this soup pretty thick. If you find that you'd like it a bit thinner, just stir in some additional chicken broth {or even hot water} at the end of cooking.

Serves 6 - 8.

Baked Gnocchi in Bubbly Parmesan "Cream" Sauce

This is a great meatless dinner option and comes together rather quickly. A good-quality packaged gnocchi is a real time saver in this recipe. I love that this is a stock-based Parmesan sauce. (Trust me - you'll never miss the heavy cream.) Bella Sun Luci sun-dried tomatoes from Mooney Farms lend chewiness and a subtle zip that really compliments the dish.

Served with a salad and maybe a loaf of crusty bread, this baked gnocchi makes a great weeknight dinner that the whole family is sure to enjoy.