Make sausage Gnocchi soup with browned sausage, pillowy gnocchi, greens, and a rich broth for an easy supper with plenty of flavor.

Creamy sausage Gnocchi soup is exactly what you want when dinner needs to taste like you spent far more time on it than you actually did!

Juicy crumbles of Italian sausage, tender potato gnocchi, sweet onion and carrots, fresh spinach, Parmesan, garlic, herbs, and a silky cream broth all land in one spoonful.

Gnocchi becomes wonderfully tender while soaking up savory broth, sausage gives every bite plenty of flavor, and Parmesan melts in at end for that salty, nutty finish that makes you immediately go back for another spoonful.

Ingredients

• 1 pound mild Italian pork sausage, casings removed if using links
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, only if your sausage is very lean
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small pieces
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 package potato gnocchi, 16 ounces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• Fine salt, as needed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional
• Freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper, for serving

How to Make Sausage Gnocchi Soup

Place a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-high heat and let it warm for about 1 minute. Add sausage directly to pot. If you are using very lean chicken or turkey sausage, add 1 tablespoon olive oil first.

Break meat into medium crumbles with a wooden spoon rather than smashing it into tiny grains. I like pieces around 1/2 inch because you actually want to taste sausage when you get one on your spoon!

Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and fully cooked. Pork sausage made from ground pork should reach 160°F; poultry sausage should reach 165°F for safe cooking.

Take a look at how much fat is sitting in pot before moving forward. You want roughly 1 tablespoon left behind because that fat carries loads of sausage flavor into vegetables. If you have a large pool, spoon off excess. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery, then reduce heat to medium.

Cook vegetables for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every minute or so. You are not looking for browned vegetables here. Watch onion instead. Once pieces become soft and slightly translucent and carrots start losing their raw crunch around edges, you are ready for garlic.

Stir in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Cook for about 30 to 45 seconds, just until garlic smells fragrant. Do not wander away at this point!

Garlic goes from wonderful to burnt surprisingly fast, and burnt garlic has a bitter flavor that cream cannot magically negotiate with later.

Sprinkle flour evenly over sausage and vegetables, then stir continuously for about 1 minute.

At first everything may look slightly dry and floury, which is exactly fine. Cooking flour briefly removes its raw taste. Pour in about 1 cup chicken broth while stirring and scraping bottom of pot with your spoon.

Once mixture looks smooth, gradually pour in remaining 4 cups broth. Adding broth this way is worth those extra few seconds because it prevents little flour lumps from floating around your soup.

Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a gentle boil, then immediately lower heat so liquid settles into a steady simmer. Let it simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. This gives carrots and celery extra time to soften and lets sausage flavor work its way into broth.

Taste a carrot. It should be mostly tender but still have a tiny bit of resistance in center. If pieces are still noticeably firm, give soup another 2 minutes before adding gnocchi.

Add gnocchi directly to simmering soup and stir right away so none settles and sticks to bottom. Keep heat around medium-low to medium and cook according to package timing, usually about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir gently once or twice while it cooks.

Gnocchi should become tender all way through but should not dissolve or become mushy. One of my favorite visual cues is watching gnocchi begin floating toward surface, but do not rely on floating alone.

Scoop one out, cut it in half, and taste it. A good gnocchi should feel tender and soft with a pleasant little chew in center.

Lower heat to low before pouring in heavy cream. Stir gently and let soup warm for about 2 minutes, but avoid a hard boil once cream goes in. Add spinach by handfuls, stirring between additions.

It will look like far too much for approximately 20 seconds and then wilt into broth as if it had been bluffing all along! Cook only 1 to 2 minutes, until leaves are wilted but still bright green.

Turn off heat completely, then stir in freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper. This is one step I would not rush.

Adding Parmesan after heat is turned off gives it a better chance to melt smoothly into broth rather than clumping against bottom of a very hot pot. Stir for about 30 seconds, taste soup, and only now decide how much salt it needs.

Depending on sausage, broth, and Parmesan you used, you may need anywhere from a pinch to about 1/2 teaspoon. Season gradually because you can always add more!

Let Sausage Gnocchi Soup rest for about 3 to 5 minutes before serving. It will thicken slightly as gnocchi releases starch and Parmesan settles into broth.

If soup looks thicker than you prefer, stir in an extra splash of warm chicken broth. If you want it slightly richer, a small splash of cream works too.

Ladle into wide bowls and finish with fresh Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and chopped parsley. Take a bite while gnocchi is hot and tender, because this soup is at its absolute best when steam is still curling off your spoon!

What to Serve With Sausage Gnocchi Soup

This soup already includes sausage, potatoes, vegetables, and cream, so I keep sides fairly simple.

• Garlic bread: Probably my favorite choice. Crisp edges are perfect for dragging through creamy broth left at bottom of bowl.
• Crusty Italian bread: Warm bread with a crackly crust gives a nice contrast to tender gnocchi.
• Simple green salad: Use a sharp vinaigrette with lemon or red wine vinegar. Bright acidity cuts through cream and sausage nicely.
• Roasted broccoli: Keep seasoning simple with olive oil, salt, pepper, and perhaps lemon.
• Roasted asparagus: Another lighter vegetable side that does not compete with soup.

For an easy dinner, I would serve generous bowls with crusty bread and call it done!

A really good sausage Gnocchi soup should give you a little bit of everything in each spoonful: savory browned sausage, pillowy gnocchi, tender vegetables, bright spinach, garlic, herbs, Parmesan, and enough creamy broth to pull it all together without drowning out those flavors. This version hits that balance while keeping preparation simple enough for an ordinary weeknight!

Hungry for more feel-good meals? Explore these 21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Recipes for a nourishing start and 10 Anti-Inflammatory Dinner Recipes for delicious evenings that make healthy eating easy!