Creamy Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup (Easy One-Pot Recipe)
This creamy Italian sausage and gnocchi soup builds a rich Parmesan cream broth with Italian sausage, shredded carrots, fresh spinach, and potato gnocchi cooked right in the pot for an easy cozy dinner ready in 35 minutes.
Servings: 6
Calories: 649kcal
Equipment
- Dutch oven or any cooking pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 –5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil if needed
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook for a couple of minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Then add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, until the meat is browned and cooked through and the carrots are starting to soften.
- If the sausage is very lean, add a small drizzle of olive oil to the pan.
- Add the diced. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes to deepen its flavor.
- Add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir and cook for 30–60 seconds, until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then stir in the uncooked gnocchi.
- Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The gnocchi should begin to become tender, but doesn't need to be completely cooked yet.
- Reduce the heat to low and slowly stir in the heavy cream.
- Add spinach and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
- Continue to simmer gently for another 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the gnocchi is tender.
- Don't let the sauce boil rapidly once the cream and Parmesan are added, as this can cause the sauce to separate.
- Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper as needed. Keep in mind that the sausage, broth, and Parmesan can all contribute salt, so you may not need much additional salt.
- Serve warm with extra freshly grated Parmesan and fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Don't boil the soup after the cream and Parmesan go in. Low and slow is the only setting at this point — a rapid boil breaks the sauce and you end up with a greasy, grainy mess rather than the silky cream broth you want.
- Freshly grated Parmesan only. Pre-shredded has anti-caking agents that stop it from melting smoothly.
- Shredded carrots are specifically better than diced here. They cook down into the broth almost invisibly and add a natural sweetness that rounds out the richness of the sausage and cream without any one person picking carrots out of their bowl.
- This soup is a meal prep winner. It reheats beautifully all week with a small splash of broth stirred in.
Nutrition
Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 1376mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g