This Old Fashioned Gnocchi Potato Soup Is Perfect For Winter Nights
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It might sound cliche, but one of my favorite things about growing up in an Irish household was my family’s potato soup recipe. It was a simple potato soup recipe, but this rich and hearty meal was one of my most requested dishes that my mom made. In fact, this creamy soup was often put on the stove early in the morning and the smell would waft up throughout the house for the entire day as I impatiently waited for it to be done.
Fast forward to adulthood, I decided to not only recreate this family favorite, but give an old fashioned potato soup recipe a fresh spin. This creamy soup takes the creaminess of potato soup and adds shredded chicken and bacon for a darn good soup. The best part? This recipe can be done in under an hour, meaning that you do not have to wait all day to eat it.
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi’s origins come from Italy, most specifically, these small dough balls come from the word ‘nocca,’ which translates to ‘knuckle’ in English. Contrary to popular belief, gnocchi isn’t actually pasta. In fact, it’s a small dumpling made out of potatoes. In this recipe, not only do they help to thicken the potato soup, but they add in soft, chewy texture into the creamy soup. Since gnocchi are made out of potato, instead of flour like traditional dumplings, they also help to retain their shape longer. This means that this soup is an excellent choice for making ahead and freezing (and reheating!)
How to Say Gnocchi
Like other uniquely spelled words, (quinoa, anyone?) the word ‘gnocchi’ can give an English speaker pause. If you’re an American, you’ve most likely heard the word pronounced, “noh-kee.” This would be wrong, however. Originally spoken in Italian, the proper pronunciation is ‘nyohk-kee.’ The emphasis is on the second syllable, most specifically including the ‘yo’ in the pronunciation.
Simple Potato Soup Recipe
One of the best parts of this soup is that it is incredibly easy to make at home, even if you don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen. The combination of milk, heavy whipping cream and chicken stock will give your soup a creamy richness that only requires three ingredients. The rest of the soup additions can be completely up to you. (We’ve listed a few of our favorites below!) Simmer this creamy soup recipe on the stove and come back to a delicious meal that the whole family is sure to love.
Tip: Save time in the kitchen by using a rotisserie chicken. This not only cuts down on cook time, but allows you to add a combination of white and dark meat into your soup.
Everything You Need to Make Old Fashioned Potato Gnocchi Soup
Russet Potatoes
Bacon
Garlic
Celery
Shredded chicken
Heavy Whipping Cream
Milk
Chicken Stock
Easy Ingredient Substitutions
Take Out (or add in) Meat. If you would prefer to remove the meat products entirely, do so! However, you can also make easy substitutions, too. Sausage, ham or turkey could be easily exchanged for the chicken in this recipe.
Add More Vegetables. Spinach, sliced carrots, kale, or even mushrooms would be great additions to this recipe.
Gluten Free. There are brands of gluten-free gnocchi (the brand listed above is not gluten-free)
Use Cornstarch. Instead of using all-purpose flour, you can substitute cornstarch. Reduce the quantity by half—for this recipe, use 1/4 cup cornstarch. To prevent clumping, blend cornstarch separately with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water until fully dissolved before adding to the dutch oven.
Puree Soup. You could omit the flour completely by creating a slurry to add at the end of the cooking process. To do so, combine the potatoes, heavy whipping cream, chicken stock, and milk in a separate container. Remove 2-3 cups of soup and puree. Add this slurry mixture back into the soup as you combine it with the chicken and bacon mixture.
How to Make Old Fashion Potato Soup With Gnocchi
Get the bacon ready. In a large skillet, place bacon in a single layer over medium-high heat. Cook until desired crispness, flipping bacon over once. Place bacon on plate with paper towel and set aside.
Chop it up. Chop bacon into desired size pieces.
Boil the potatoes. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add potatoes. Cook approximately 7-10 minutes, removing the potatoes before they are fully cooked (fork tender). Drain and set aside.
Cook the vegetables. Over medium high heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, celery, and 1/4 cup flour. Cook 5-6 minutes until celery begins to turn translucent, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add bacon, shredded chicken, remaining olive oil and flour. Stir until mixture is fully coated.
Mix it all together. Add the remaining ingredients to the dutch oven, except for gnocchi. Stir until combined.
Let it cook. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Toss in the gnocchi. Add gnocchi, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Potato Soup Variations
Not a fan of chicken or bacon? No problem — simply remove or add ingredients to make a soup that suits your tastes.
Ham & Potato. Substitute the shredded chicken in the recipe for chopped (pre-cooked) ham.
Loaded Baked Potato. Top the finished potato soup with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, and chives to give it a baked potato feel.
Lighter Options
Substitute the Milk. Use skim milk instead of 2%
Cut Out Extra Flour and Oil. Add 1/4 cup oil and flour to the dutch oven and combine with garlic and celery, cooking until translucent. Add chicken and bacon and make sure that chicken and bacon are fully coated before adding additional ingredients.
Cooking Tools Used In This Recipe
Old Fashioned Potato Soup & Gnocchi
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
You can increase the amount of potatoes, bacon, gnocchi, or chicken to your preference.
We prefer to leave the skin on our potatoes, but if you prefer to peel your potatoes, do so!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
582.59Fat
38.17Sat. Fat
17.72Carbs
40.07Fiber
2.06Net carbs
38.00Sugar
8.64Protein
20.42Sodium
427.04Cholesterol
118.74
Reheating Instructions for Potato Soup
This soup recipe will absolutely make a lot of soup. It’s perfect for large families or a make-ahead meal to freeze or create leftovers.
Reheating leftovers
When the gnocchi and potato sit in the refrigerator, they have a tendency to absorb the excess liquid in the soup. Add a small amount of milk to the mixture when you reheat to rehydrate the mixture.
Reheating From Frozen
Simply allow the soup to thaw by leaving it out at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a slow cooker by adding the frozen soup and a small amount of broth and milk and turn it on low heat.
If you freeze the soup in silicone or plastic bags, add the container to a pot of boiling water, removing when fully thawed (5-8 minutes).
