Flecked with veggies and kale, this creamy gnocchi soup is my version of a delicious baked potato soup, but I swapped the potato for gnocchi, a potato pasta! The soft, pillowy gnocchi melts in your mouth, and herbs and Parmesan fill your kitchen with classic Italian warmth. You’re in for the coziest meal of the week with a bowl of this cheesy soup and some warm bread.–Tara Teaspoon
Gnocchi Soup FAQs
Gnocchi are a traditional Italian dumpling most commonly made with flour, potatoes, egg, and salt, and occasionally with ricotta cheese. Although widely available in supermarkets, they are pretty simple to make at home. Give this homemade potato gnocchi recipe a try!
Leftover gnocchi soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat. If the soup has thickened too much, thin it with a splash of milk or broth.
This creamy soup cries out to be paired with buttermilk biscuits or Italian breadsticks and an Italian salad.
Gnocchi Soup with Bacon and Cheese
Ingredients
- 5 slices thin-cut bacon, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup (5 oz) diced carrot
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), plus more for garnish
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- One (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated sharp white cheddar
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 3 cups roughly chopped kale, tough stems removed
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat a 4-to 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the bacon grease. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the thyme, rosemary, red-pepper flakes, and flour. Stir to coat everything in flour, then pour in the broth. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, and broth has thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the gnocchi, milk, cheddar, Parmesan, and kale. Stir until soup is smooth and cheese is melted. Stir in most of the bacon, reserving some for garnish. The soup may simmer gently, but do not boil.
- Season to taste with salt and serve. Garnish with extra bacon and herbs if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This soup with gnocchi is a heaping bowl of comfort food. I made my own homemade potato gnocchi the day before and, because you can do that for this soup, it’s a nice process to incorporate into an otherwise basic combination. It also saves money!
I didn’t have enough white cheddar but did have a 10-month-old aged smoked Gouda in my fridge which tasted great. In my opinion, this soup can use more cheese, probably a cup of cheddar or Gouda as in my case, and more for topping.
I added peas, spinach, and corn to mine because I didn’t have any kale. Had I had any green onion or broccoli on hand I would’ve definitely added them.
This soup made my home smell great and, although it’s a sweltering 90 degrees outside today, I am grateful to have AC to cool off. Along with a candle and a bowl of this soup, I fast-forwarded to October and had a relaxing Sunday as a result.
This is a comforting potato gnocchi soup, perfect for chilly winter days when you find yourself needing carbs and bacon. The gnocchi are a good substitute for potatoes and act as the perfect thickener; I used double the amount of cheddar cheese stated in the recipe because cheese is delicious and you can never have too much.
I made this soup in the late afternoon and had to add another cup of broth a couple of hours later; it had thickened quite a bit even in a few hours. I’ll probably add 6 cups of broth right from the get-go when I make it again.
The preparation was somewhat time-consuming–I may just sub in baby spinach next time and skip chopping the kale. I served this with a crusty baguette, soft cheese, and red wine.
We loved this soup with gnocchi recipe! Very creamy but somehow not too heavy or rich. As good as it was on a brutally hot summer day, I look forward to making this in the winter. I could see it as a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve soup.
I needed to buy kale and gnocchi but had everything else on hand. For a bigger project, you could make your own gnocchi. I planned to use chicken stock from the freezer but forgot to take it out in time and used boxed instead.
I used a thin bacon and thought it worked really well. For my personal taste, I don’t think thick bacon would work as well in this. This functioned more like having bits of shredded ham in the soup.
We had the soup with spinach borek I bought from a Turkish woman at the farmer’s market. It was a good combination. I’m thinking there must be plenty of types of savory pies that would make an excellent accompaniment to this.
I thinned the leftover soup—it thickened quite a bit in the refrigerator—with just under half as much milk as soup, plus a little water to get it to the right consistency.
Despite being caught in a massive heatwave, this comforting potato gnocchi soup gave a taste of autumnal warmth for the months to come. Combining the pillowy texture of the gnocchi with the creaminess of the cheese made for a dish that was thick enough to be a satisfying meal without being overwhelmingly heavy.
I was so pleased with how simple the recipe itself was and appreciated that the most challenging aspect was cutting up vegetables. The soup was versatile and worked well as a meal on its own, no need for salad or bread on the side, especially with the fact that it’s the sort of soup that will have everyone reaching for second helpings.
I’d make this again, perhaps for a colder evening in the fall or winter, knowing that the ingredients for this recipe are quite accessible for that time of year.
I didn’t serve the gnocchi soup with bacon and cheese with anything else as we wanted to have a light supper. The soup was easy to make and the proportions of ingredients were good. This would be a good colourful winter warmer soup.
This gnocchi soup recipe produces a thick and satisfying meal. I’d like more cheddar flavor; however, it’s still quite good. I don’t actually think the soup felt like it was thick until after the gnocchi had been in the soup for a while.
