Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup

 

What do you do when you have leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving? You make gnocchi, of course! In all honesty, this did not used to be my thought on leftover mashed potatoes. In the past, I would use them for potato pancakes, or to top a shepherd’s pie. More often than not, I don’t even have leftovers so it’s not much of a thought.

 

 

This year, however, I did have lots of leftovers. I might have done that on purpose though, because I really wanted to practice making gnocchi. It cuts a step out of the process when you know you’re making gnocchi, and makes it feel like a quicker process. It also combines tasks, which is way more efficient. You don’t HAVE to use leftovers, you can make some fresh cooked potato. 

 

 

One of my favorite memories as a kid was when we were little and we’d go up north to go skiing. There was a little restaurant that served home style meals, including an amazing chicken and dumplings. I’ve tried making it a couple times with biscuit style dough for the dumplings, but they’re too heavy.

 

 

These gnocchi hit the spot! They are soft and pillowy and absorb the broth of the soup so wonderfully. I decided to use sausage instead of chicken because I love the salty-savoryness that it adds to the soup. It creates a warm and comforting meal. Perfect for that cold night, after a long day. 

 

 

 

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup

 

For the Gnocchi:

2 c cold mashed potatoes

1 c flour

1 egg, beaten

¾ tsp salt

 

 

For the Soup:

1 Tbs EVOO

1 medium onion, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 Tbs butter

¼ c flour

4 c chicken broth

3 sweet Italian sausage links, removed from the casings

2 c half and half

½ tsp thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

2 c gnocchi

1 c fresh spinach, roughly chopped

 

Start with your gnocchi. Place ½ the flour on your pasta board or the counter. Add the mashed potatoes on top of the flour, and the make a well in the middle. Pour your egg in the well and add the salt to the well also. Cover the top of the well with another 1/4 c of your flour. Using your scraper, begin to fold and knead your ingredients together. As you mix, add more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky to work with. The less flour the better; it prevents them from becoming too gummy.

 

Once the dough is well mixed, divide it into 4 pieces and roll each into 1-inch wide ropes. Cut them into 1-inch pieces and then roll each piece down the tines of a floured fork to create the ridges. Set them aside on a floured tray until you’re ready put them in the soup.

 

 

Add oil to a cast iron dutch oven. Once warmed, but not smoking, brown the sausage and then remove it from the pan and set aside. Add a little more oil if needed, and then add the onions, celery, and carrots. Allow to them to sauté and soften for a few minutes. Once onions become translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the butter and once melted, add the flour. Continue to heat and mix until the flour is all cooked through and the roux is a tan-brown color. Slowly add the chicken broth and blend with the roux so it won’t break it.

 

Once all the broth is added and blended together, bring to a simmer. Add the half and half to the soup slowly so as not to change the temperature of the broth too quickly. Bring it back to a simmer and add your chicken back to the pot. Add the thyme as well as salt and pepper to taste. Add your gnocchi and allow them to cook in the soup for about 5 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and let it wilt into the soup. Check for salt and pepper once more and it is ready to serve. 

 

 

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