Hi friends! I’ve got another Hungry Lady Soup for you, and this one is going to become your new cold-weather favorite. It’s got gnocchi, sausage, and greens, and you can swap in whatever you have on hand. Don’t have kale? Use spinach. No gnocchi? Rigatoni or fusilli works great.
Sausage and greens are a classic Italian combination, especially with Parmesan and pasta. Orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage is a classic pasta dish in Italy (there’s a recipe for it in my last book), and I turned it into a soup using gnocchi.
Like a lot of people, I fell in love with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. If you don’t love it, I think you’re probably making it wrong. Skip the directions on the back of the bag, because I’m here to tell you the right way! You have to get the gnocchi crispy, whether that’s in the air fryer or seared in a pan the way I call for here. Searing gets each piece nice and crusty and brown, so it holds together instead of turning to mush in the soup.
The chicken sausage and the gnocchi are always in my freezer, and the greens can live there too. That means this soup needs almost no fresh staples, so it’s a great one to make in a pinch. And everyone loved it.
Ingredients
Italian sausage: About 1 pound, and it doesn’t need to be exact. Buy ground sausage meat, or take whole sausages out of their casings.
Onion and celery: Finely chopped. They cook in the sausage fat with the oregano to build the base of the soup.
Dried oregano: Added with the onion and celery so it has time to warm through.
Flour: Gluten-free or all-purpose both work. It’s cooked with the garlic for a minute before the stock goes in.
Garlic: Three cloves, minced.
Chicken stock: Homemade or low-sodium store-bought, so you can control the salt.
Olive oil: For browning the gnocchi in a separate pan.
Frozen cauliflower gnocchi: Two 12-ounce packages. Browning them in a nonstick pan first keeps them from getting mushy in the soup. Using potato gnocchi instead? Skip the browning step and add them straight to the soup.
Goat Milk: Stirred in with the gnocchi. Goat Milk is creamier than regular cows milk. If you can’t find Goat Milk, I would suggest Whole Milk or Heavy Cream.
Lacinato kale: Rinsed and chopped, and stirred in at the end until wilted. Spinach works too.
Salt and pepper: A pinch of each with the stock, then season to taste at the end.
How to Make My Sausage & Gnocchi Soup
- Add the sausage meat to a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned all over, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot and drain any excess.
- Add the onion, celery, and oregano to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the chicken stock and stir until the flour is incorporated.
- Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- While the soup comes to a boil, set a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the frozen cauliflower gnocchi and cook, tossing the pan a few times, for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. This step keeps cauliflower gnocchi from getting mushy. If you’re using potato gnocchi, skip it, since potato gnocchi has more structure and can go straight into the soup in the next step.
- Once the soup is boiling, add the sausage back in, followed by the gnocchi and cream. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the gnocchi doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. If needed, add a splash more chicken stock or cream to thin the soup.
- Stir in the kale (or spinach) and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Commonly Asked Questions
Cauliflower gnocchi can get mushy in soup. Browning it in a nonstick pan first, until golden on all sides, helps it hold up.
Yes. Potato gnocchi has more structure, so you can skip the browning step and add it straight to the soup.
It can be. Use gluten-free flour, and check the labels on your sausage, stock, and gnocchi. Most potato gnocchi contains wheat, so stick with cauliflower gnocchi if you need it gluten-free.
Yes. Lacinato kale is my first choice, but spinach works too. Stir it in at the end and cook until wilted.
Add a splash more chicken stock or goat milk/cream until it’s the consistency you like.
Sausage and Gnocchi Soup with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, see note
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp GF flour or all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium store-bought
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 12 oz. packages frozen cauliflower gnocchi, (I like Trader Joes)
- 1 cup cream
- 2 cups rinsed and chopped Lacinato kale, or spinach
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the sausage meat to a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned all over, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave about a tablespoon of the fat in the pot and drain any excess.
- Add the onion, celery, and oregano to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the chicken stock and stir until the flour is incorporated.
- Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a gentle boil.
- While the soup comes to a boil, set a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the frozen cauliflower gnocchi and cook, tossing the pan a few times, for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. This step keeps cauliflower gnocchi from getting mushy. If you’re using potato gnocchi, skip it, since potato gnocchi has more structure and can go straight into the soup in the next step.
- Once the soup is boiling, add the sausage back in, followed by the gnocchi and cream. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the gnocchi doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. If needed, add a splash more chicken stock or cream to thin the soup.
- Stir in the kale (or spinach) and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
