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This Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup Recipe is made with pillowy potato gnocchi, savory Italian sausage, and tender vegetables in a warm and flavorful broth. It’s cozy, comforting, and so easy to make!
Try my Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipes next!
Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup
This incredible sausage gnocchi soup has everything you’d expect (or want!) in a soup. It is packed with delicious Italian flavors, hearty Italian sausage, and pillowy bites of potato gnocchi, all within an irresistibly creamy broth. Once you try this amazing recipe, you will want to make it all the time. It comes together quickly and has tons of room for additions or substitutions. Check out my variations below.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Italian seasoning in the sausage and broth provides a deeply robust and savory base for the soup. This pairs well with the mild taste and pillowy texture of the gnocchi.
- This recipe uses store-bought gnocchi, which is convenient and cooks in just a few minutes.
- Unlike some cream-based soups, this recipe is made with four parts broth to one and a half parts cream, so it’s not too heavy.
Ingredients
Below are descriptions of the key ingredients for this Sausage Gnocchi Soup Recipe, including possible substitutions. You can find the printable recipe with measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card below.
- Ground Italian sausage: I prefer using ground Italian chicken sausage as it’s leaner and tastes nearly identical to pork sausage. Feel free to use hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage, depending on your preference.
- Butter: To soften the vegetables.
- Mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion): These vegetables are cooked over low heat slowly to sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelize them. Try not to rush this step.
- Seasoning and aromatics: This soup is seasoned with fresh garlic, dried thyme, basil, salt, black pepper, and dried fennel.
- Tomatoes: The tomatoes add natural sweetness and color. This recipe calls for Roma tomatoes, but canned whole tomatoes or chopped tomatoes will also work.
- Dry white wine (optional): Stir about 1/2 a cup after the tomatoes have softened for even more flavor.
- Chicken broth: This recipe calls for chicken broth, but any combination of stock, broth, and water will work. If you have access to homemade stock, that would be even better.
- Potato gnocchi: Gnocchi are small dumplings made from boiled and mashed potatoes mixed with flour. Store-bought gnocchi in the refrigerated section will taste best, at least compared to shelf-stable or frozen gnocchi.
- Heavy cream: This soup includes one and a half cups of heavy cream. Feel free to add more or less to taste or swap the heavy cream for half-and-half. Whole or low-fat milk is not recommended as they are more likely to separate.
- Baby spinach: Frozen spinach is not recommended. Substitute with chopped kale if desired.
How to Make Sausage Gnocchi Soup
1. Cook the sausage: Crumble and cook the Italian sausage in a large soup pot set over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Once cooked, drain all the grease, leaving about a tablespoon in the pot.
2. Soften the vegetables: Add the butter and cook the onion, celery, and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Season and soften the tomatoes: Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, basil, salt, black pepper, and dried fennel. Stir continuously until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about three minutes.
4. Add flavor with dry wine (optional): Add a generous splash of dry white wine (Pinto Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay). Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until reduced by half.
5. Add the broth and simmer: Stir in the broth and increase the heat to high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low, maintaining a steady simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Cook the gnocchi, then add the heavy cream. Carefully add the gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add the heavy cream. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes (by this time, the gnocchi should be floating at the surface of the soup).
7. Add the spinach. Stir in the spinach and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
8. Serve: Best served hot with grated parmesan cheese, hot sauce, and fresh basil if desired.
Variations
- To make this soup with pasta, check out my Italian Sausage Soup.
- To make this soup with potatoes, use Yukon gold potatoes. Add them at the same time as the tomatoes.
- To make this soup with tortellini, cook one (20-ounce) package of refrigerated tortellini separately from the soup. Add the desired amount of tortellini to individual bowls when serving. Check out my Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup for inspiration.
- To make this soup with chicken, check out my Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
How to Serve
This comforting soup is perfect with fresh buttered bread, homemade soft dinner rolls, or these buttermilk biscuits. If you enjoy salads, try serving it with this easy Caesar salad or simple Arugula Salad.
Storage and Reheating
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
In general, I do not recommend freezing recipes that include dairy, like milk or heavy cream. Should you wish to freeze this soup, remember that the dairy may split or curdle upon thawing and reheating.
Sausage Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, chicken or pork, mild or hot
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried fennel
- 3 Roma tomatoes, quartered and chopped, see notes
- ½ cup dry white wine, optional, see notes
- 4-5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 2 cups baby spinach, packed (add more if desired)
Instructions
- Crumble and cook the Italian sausage in a large soup pot set over medium heat until browned and cooked. Once cooked, drain all the grease, leaving about a tablespoon in the pot.
- Add the butter and cook the onion, celery, and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, basil, salt, black pepper, and dried fennel. Stir continuously until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until softened, about three minutes.
- Optional: Add a generous splash of dry white wine (Pinto Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay). Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until reduced by half.
- Stir in the broth and increase the heat to high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low, maintaining a steady simmer for 20 minutes.
- Carefully add the gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add the heavy cream. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes (by this time, the gnocchi should be floating at the surface of the soup).
- Stir in the spinach and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
- This soup is best served hot with grated parmesan cheese, hot sauce, and fresh basil if desired.
Notes
- I prefer using ground Italian chicken sausage as it’s leaner and tastes nearly identical to pork sausage. Feel free to use hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage, depending on your preference.
- You may use one (15-ounce) canned chopped or whole tomatoes for convenience.
- Adding wine is optional. Use a dry white wine such as Pinto Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay.
- Feel free to reduce the amount of heavy cream or substitute with half-and-half. Low-fat milk is not recommended.
- Kale is a delicious alternative to spinach. It may take an additional 1-2 minutes to cook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
