This sausage gnocchi soup recipe is so comforting and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. You’ll love the creamy broth, soft gnocchi, and tender kale!
This soup is a blend of two of our fav soup recipes – the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup and Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Hello, best of both worlds!
There’s nothing like tender potato gnocchi swimming in a cream-based broth with spicy Italian sausage. This soup is the epitome of comfort food and is great for hectic weeknights when you don’t wanna fuss around with a ton of ingredients or dishes.
Preparing this Olive Garden Inspired Sausage Gnocchi Soup
This super easy soup only takes 30 minutes total time and is made in just one pot.
- Dice the Veggies: First, dice the yellow onion into small pieces and rough chop the kale.
- Brown the Sausage: Next, brown the spicy Italian sausage in a large soup pot over medium heat until cooked through. Next, add in the diced onion and press in the garlic cloves. Sauté the onions until golden brown.
- Add in the Liquid: Add water or broth to the pot and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.
- Build the Soup: Next, add in the chopped kale, half & half, and gnocchi to the soup. Let the broth boil for a couple of minutes.
- Finish the Soup: Season the soup to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove the pot from heat and let the soup sit for about 5 minutes before serving it. Enjoy!
3 Helpful Tips for Sausage Gnocchi Soup
Making this soup isn’t rocket science, but a couple foolproof tips will help you nail it.
- Cook the soup in a Dutch oven if you have one. Making soups in a Dutch oven is a game changer. The pot holds such an even heat and locks in a ton of moisture. We love our Staub Dutch oven if you’re in need of a recommendation.
- Brown the sausage in the same pot you will prepare the soup. All the juices that get released from the sausage add so much flavor to the soup. Instead of throwing them out, build your soup right on top of them!
- Use chicken broth for a richer soup flavor. If you want to add an extra depth of flavor to the soup, swap the water out for homemade chicken broth.
Different Variations
If you want to get creative, play around with some variations to this easy 30 minute soup.
- Swap in different proteins. Use turkey sausage, pork sausage, or even ground beef with Italian seasoning. You can also adjust the spice level of the sausage by choosing mild, medium, or hot varieties.
- Swap the kale for spinach. If you’re not a huge fan of kale, swap in spinach instead (remember: spinach cooks down significantly, so you’ll need double or triple the amount of spinach).
- Add in different veggies. Make this soup more veggie-forward by adding in your favorite vegetables. Carrots, celery, red bell pepper, and diced tomatoes are all great options.
- Add in different spices. Add in your favorite herbs for an early pop of flavor. Basil, thyme, and rosemary are all great options. Or, add in some red pepper flakes for a kick of spice.
Ideas for Serving Sausage Gnocchi Soup
This soup is more than filling eaten as-is, but there are a couple of great sides to pair it with if you want a more well-rounded meal.
- Bread: Baguette, cheesy bread, and focaccia are all great options.
- Salad: Homemade caesar salad or an ultimate garden salad pair perfectly with sausage gnocchi soup.
Serving Tip: Top the soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese for a punch of nutty flavor!
Best Practices for Storing
To keep the soup on hand for up to a week, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The best part? IT will continue to develop its flavors as it marinates in the fridge. Hello, delicious leftovers!
Reheating Tip: The best way to reheat soup is in a saucepan over low heat until warmed through.
FAQ
Is the gnocchi prone to falling apart in sausage gnocchi soup?
The gnocchi will absorb the broth the longer it sits (which might require you to add some additional broth and cream to leftovers), but it won’t fall apart. The dumplings tend to be quite dense and firm.
Can you freeze sausage gnocchi soup?
Soups that are made with dairy don’t tend to freeze well. Upon thawing, the cream separates and the texture turns unappetizing. Some things are best eaten fresh!
Can you use frozen gnocchi for sausage gnocchi soup?
Yes! You can drop frozen gnocchi directly into the soup. Just a make sure to give them a bit of extra time on simmer to make sure they cook all the way through.
Does the kale add a strong flavor sausage gnocchi soup?
The kale doesn’t add too much of a strong flavor to sausage gnocchi soup. It’s well-balanced by the spicy sausage and cream-based broth.
More Tasty Soup Recipes
- Rice Noodle Soup with Beef – Pho-inspired beef soup
- Italian Sausage Kale Soup Recipe – White bean, sausage, & kale soup
- Mom’s Chicken Dumpling Soup – Classic veggie, chicken, & dumpling soup
- Grandma’s White Bean Soup (The Best) – White bean& pork chop soup
Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients for toscana soup. Dice the onions into small pieces.
- Brown the spicy Italian sausage in a preheated soup pot until it's completely cooked through. Add in the diced onion and press in the garlic. Sauté the onions until golden brown. Add water or broth to the pot and simmer it for 15 minutes.
- Add in the chopped kale, half & half, and gnocchi to the soup. Let the broth simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Remove the pot from heat and let the soup sit for about 5 minutes before serving it. Ladle up a bowl and enjoy!
Sooo good! I used vegetarian sausage, mushrooms, and Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi. Such a great recipe!
That sounds delicious, Heidi! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Natalya. I really need to enhance the variety of soups.
You're welcome; I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This sausage Gnocchi soup is amazing and "souper" easy to make. I love the addition of the kale as well. A very comforting dish with yummy gnocchi.
Haha, I thoroughly appreciate the pun, Matt! Thanks for commenting.
This soup is fabulous! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
You're welcome, enjoy!
I don't need cool weather to eat this!! I love it so much!! The flavor is amazing & my favorite is biting into pillows of gnocchi!
I believe soup is a year round thing! Thanks for the feedback, Kristyn!
Could you use spinach instead of Kale?
Hi Faith - Definitely! Just make sure to add about triple the amount since spinach wilts down so much. Hope you love the soup and thanks for reaching out!
Could you use ground beef instead of sausage?
Hey Catherine, yes that would work well but you would need to add Italian seasoning for the flavor. Enjoy
How much water / broth do you add?
Hey Teresa, 3 quarts. Thanks for pointing this out. I added a note to the recipe.
Is the kale a strong flavor in the soup? My family doesn't like kale but this soup looks and sounds delicious! I do think they would like it as long as the kale doesn't really stand out as bitter. Wondering if I should try it with kale or use something like spinach as an alternative. They all eat spinach.
Hey Dawn, personally I like kale in soups because they dont have a strong flavor and they add nutrition. Maybe add a little bit of kale and see how they like it. You can add more later and just bring it to a simmer.