The Creamy Italian-Inspired Soup You’ll Make on Repeat This Winter

It takes less than 30 minutes.

By
Melissa Gray
Melissa Gray
Melissa Gray is a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist for Dotdash Meredith, working on titles such as Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, Health, and Simply Recipes. Melissa began her career in publishing at a regional magazine company in 2015, working on titles such as Southern Cast Iron, Southern Lady, and Taste of the South for 4 years before joining Meredith Corporation in 2019.
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and
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo's recipes, writing, and food styling can be found on King Arthur Baking, Food Network, Delish, Food52, and more. She collaborated on the cookbook Delish Vegan Dinners and trained at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled at the Whitney Museum.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published November 27, 2023
Overhead shot: two bowls of copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup on a beige table napkin

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

An Olive Garden employee once revealed to PopSugar that "all of Olive Garden's signature soups... are made by hand and from scratch every morning using fresh, whole ingredients." No wonder they're delicious!

Of all of Olive Garden's classic soups, Chicken & Gnocchi, "a creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings, and spinach" ranks as a favorite for OG fans. Here's a copycat recipe you can make at home for a fraction of the cost and in under 30 minutes.

4 Smart Shortcuts for Making Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Chicken: Olive Garden adds roast chicken to the soup. You can take their lead and pick up a roast chicken from the grocery store—that's what I did to develop the recipe. Here are other quick and easy ways to cook the chicken: Instant Pot chicken, boiled chicken breast, and simple roast chicken.

Carrots: If you've got the knife skills to cut carrots into 1/8x1/8x2-inch matchsticks, go for it! Otherwise, check the produce section of your grocery store for packaged matchstick carrots.

Chicken Broth: Yes, homemade chicken broth tastes better. If you don't have any on hand, store-bought is more than fine. I prefer low sodium so that I can adjust the salt to my taste.

Gnocchi: Store-bought gnocchi is firmer than homemade, so it's ideal for soups. You can use shelf-stable, refrigerated (I prefer this), or frozen gnocchi. Simply take note of the cook time on the packaging to make sure it cooks through in the soup.

Bowl of copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup on a beige table napkin

Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

Our Favorite Creamy Soups

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • 1 small rib celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick (1/3 cup)

  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

  • 1/2 cup matchstick carrots (from a 10-ounce package)

  • 3 small cloves garlic, finely chopped (2 teaspoons)

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

  • 2 cups half-and-half

  • 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken

  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated gnocchi (such as Rana)

  • 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped baby spinach (about 2 ounces)

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • Pinch ground nutmeg

Method

  1. Cook the vegetables:

    Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, and carrots, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

    Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

    Vegetables sauteed in a Dutch oven and mixed using a wooden spoon for copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
  2. Make the soup base:

    Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and stir constantly until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden brown and bubbly, about 1 minute.

    Stir in chicken broth, half-and-half, chicken, sugar, and salt. Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

    Half-and-half and chicken broth added to Dutch oven for copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
  3. Stir in gnocchi and spinach:

    Add the gnocchi, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes.

    Stir in spinach, Italian seasoning, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until the spinach is wilted. Serve warm.

    Love the recipe? Leave us a review and stars below!

    Bag of gnocchi poured into the Dutch oven for copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
    Copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup after spinach is stirred into the Dutch oven

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
    Copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup in a Dutch oven with some lifted in a ladle

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
565 Calories
30g Fat
54g Carbs
20g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 565
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g 39%
Saturated Fat 17g 86%
Cholesterol 133mg 44%
Sodium 1038mg 45%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 20g
Vitamin C 14mg 70%
Calcium 191mg 15%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 681mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.