Creamy Italian Sausage Soup with Crispy Gnocchi Croutons

Tonight’s dinner was Italian Sausage Gnocchi soup and the kitchen smelled incredible even before was sat down to eat! I start this recipe by browning the sausage – you can either break it into crumbles or slice in thin – my kids love sliced sausages, so that’s how we roll!

Once the sausage has good color, add onion, garlic, any other veggies you want like carrots, peppers, or celery, tomatoes, and let it soften. Add chicken broth and let the pot simmer till fragrant. When it’s almost ready add some spinach leaves, red pepper flakes, and heavy cream to turn it rich and creamy. Once it comes together, serve topped with parmesan cheese. This soup is so good in cold weather, a bowlful warms you from the inside out.

Traditional recipes call for adding the gnocchi with the broth and letting it cook till pillowy soft. However instead of boiling gnocchi directly in the soup, I love pan-frying them straight from the package. Toss them with a little butter or oil and add seasonings of your choice like rosemary, oregano, and basil. Pan fry till crisp and golden. Serve the gnocchi on top like croutons – total game changer!

How to Make Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup

A rich, creamy one-pot soup with Italian sausage, carrots, and fresh spinach, topped with crispy pan-fried gnocchi “croutons”, parmesan cheese, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Perfect for a cozy, cold-weather dinner. The recipe traditionally used potato gnocchi but you can also substitute it with other gnocchi.

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage (sliced or crumbled, casings removed if links)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

For the Crispy Gnocchi

• 1 pounds potato gnocchi (or any gnocchi variety)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, for pan-frying gnocchi
• ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano and basil)
• ½ teaspoons salt, for seasoning gnocchi

Prep / Mise en Place

• Before starting, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the spinach.
• Slice or crumble the sausage depending on preference (sliced is a family favorite in many households).
• Measure out the broth, cream, and diced tomatoes so everything is ready to go once the pot gets hot.
• Keep the gnocchi separate; it won’t go into the pot.

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add 1 lb Italian sausage (sliced or crumbled, casings removed if links) and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through.
• If there’s excess grease, spoon off all but about a tablespoon.
• Add the diced small yellow onion and carrot rounds to the pot with the sausage and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in garlic cloves, minced and red pepper flakes (more to taste), cooking just until fragrant.
• Pour in 4 cups chicken broth and add 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and let the carrots soften fully, about 10 minutes. (If you want to add gnocchi in the soup, add it now and boil for 4 minutes before proceeding further.)
• Reduce the heat to low. Stir in 1 cups heavy cream and let the soup warm through gently without boiling, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped and cook just until wilted.
• Season with salt (adjust to taste) and black pepper, adjusting to taste. Keep the soup warm on low heat while you crisp the gnocchi.
• While the soup simmers, heat the olive oil or butter, for pan-frying gnocchi in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook, ill golden and crispy on all sides, about 4 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle gnocchi with Italian seasonings and salt, tossing to coat.
• Stir in grated parmesan, plus more for serving until melted into the soup.
• Ladle the soup into bowls, then float a generous amount of crispy gnocchi on top of each bowl like croutons. Finish with extra parmesan and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes if you like it spicy. Serve immediately while gnocchi is crisp.

 Leftover soup will keep well since the gnocchi is stored and fried separately – just crisp up a fresh batch of gnocchi when reheating rather than storing them soaking in the soup. For a lighter version, swap heavy cream for half-and-half.

This gnocchi soup has become one of those recipes I make on repeat. It is as comforting as Olive Garden’s Chicken and Gnocchi soup, only tastier! The soup comes together in 40 minutes and is great for chaotic weeknights. The best part? This is a very forgiving recipe. Swap in kale if you like, add more broth less cream to make it lean, or add some smoked paprika to up the heat. Be sure to give it a try this fall or winter!