WW Recipe of the Day: Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Are you a fan of Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup, but not all the fat and calories?
I think you'll love my version of Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Made Lighter.
Just as rich, creamy and flavorful as the original. Only BETTER with less fat and calories and fewer WeightWatchers SmartPoints!
Tender bites of chicken, Italian potato dumplings and vegetables suspended in a thick, creamy flavorful broth, this soup is hearty enough to be meal-worthy.
Did I mention how much EVERYONE loves it?
Skinny on Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Made Lighter
I made this lightened up version of Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup by cobbling together several different copycat recipes from the internet.
The trickiest part was finding the gnocchi. I was able to locate vacuum-sealed packages in the pasta aisle of the second grocery store I visited. But you might also find them in the freezer section.
To round out your meal serve with crusty bread or warm bread sticks and tossed salad just like Olive Garden. I definitely plan on serving up this soup again.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Chicken Soup?
According to my calculations, each generous 1-½ cup serving has about 225 calories and:
6 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you like this copycat recipe for lightened up chicken gnocchi soup, be sure to check out some of my other Weight Watchers friendly soup recipes including Ham & Potato Soup Made Lighter, Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana Made Lighter and Creamy Potato Mushroom Soup
Are You Ready To Firmly Plant Yourself
On The Path To Lasting Weight Loss Success?
If you've made this Healthy Chicken Gnocchi Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe Made Lighter
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 cups chicken broth (I used jarred Better Than Bouillon to make mine)
- 4 cups water
- 1 package (16 to 18 ounces) potato gnocchi (I used DeCecco brand)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup fat-free half-and-half
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used rotisserie chicken)
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large soup pot set over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and celery. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir 1 minute more.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and chicken broth. Add to the pot, along with the water.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then add the gnocchi.
- Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the half-and-half, chicken and spinach and simmer 10 minutes more, until thickened.
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Here's another variation of Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup to consider:
More Weight Watchers Friendly Soup Recipes:
- Lightened Up 4-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Crock-Pot Italian Wedding Soup
- Lightened Slow Cooker Up Ham and Wild Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
- Slow Cooker Potato Artichoke Soup
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
Subscribe to Get: Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes
The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes (PDF) on Simple Nourished Living + Weekly Support Emails with Tips & Easy Healthy Recipes Not Found Anywhere Else!
Laura
There are just two of us. Will this soup freeze well?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Laura,
I'm not sure, as I haven't tried to freeze it. I think it should work fine. Another alternative might be
to make a half batch. Hope this helps 🙂
Jenn Garner
I made this for my family tonight. It was a HIT! I was worried about the spinach with my picky ones. But it was perfect. I had to omit the celery because I thought I had some but when I got home from work someone had eaten for their afternoon snack....not such a bad thing I guess. I made a batch and a half which was more than enough for four of us when we added a side salad. We will have some leftovers this week which is good for a busy family. Oh, and a major bonus, outside of the vegetable chopping, this was REALLY easy to make! 🙂
Martha McKinnon
Hi Jenn, Glad it worked for you 🙂
Bridgette Montpelier
My favorite meal at Olive Garden. My husband and I agree this is wonderful and will be added to our meal plans! Thank you!
Martha McKinnon
Thanks Bridgette!
Angie
I love it. This is a fantastic . We both had 2 bowl of soup. I am going to give one for our niece. She start freshmen in college this will keep her warm.
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Angie!
Nicole
Do you think this would work in the crockpot?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Nicole, I haven't tried it but I think it could work but it would have to be done in stages to prevent the gnocchi and spinach from getting overdone. I'd just toss the vegetables (except spinach) and broth in the slow cooker and let it go on low until tender which will take 4 to 6 hours. Then about an hour before I wanted to eat it I would add the gnocchi and cornstarch mixture. And then about 30 minutes before I'd add the spinach and chicken. Hope this helps.
Tasha
Do I need to cook the gnocchi before adding it?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Tasha, no, add it and it will cook in the soup! Hope this helps!! Enjoy!
Gennel
I just made this today and I must say 2 Tbsp of cornstarch is NOT enough to thicken 9 cups of liquid (4 cups water,4 cups broth,1cup fatfree half and half)
Great flavor but it was as runny as skim milk
The recipe /picture has a "clam chowder" consistency. Using cornstarch for years and 1 tbsp for about 2 cups of liquid, thickens it like this. So I ended up having to use 4 1/2 tbsp of starch for the 9 cups of fluid in this recipe.
Just wondering if everyone's recipe came out thick with just 2tbsp???
Martha McKinnon
Hi Gennel, Thanks for sharing your experience. I sometimes take my photos the day after making a recipe, when the light is better. Often soups do thicken up after they have been refrigerated, which may have been the case here. When I had the soup at olive Garden I don't remember it being as thick as "clam chowder" but the great thing about cooking is that most any recipe can be adjusted to suit individual tastes! Glad you were able to adjust this to your desired thickness 🙂
Jeannie Mello
Any ideas for making this soup gluten-free? A replacement for the potato gnocchi which has flour in it. Help!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Jeannie, I'd suggest substituting your favorite gluten free pasta for the gnocchi. Hope this helps. - Martha
Wanda Bigelow
You can find gnocchi at the $ tree, same package you pay more for at grocery store. I've used it several times. I would like to try this recipe out the next time I made gnocchi soup. Actually, my soup recipe is quite low in points. Weight Watchers took my recipe and changed it up a little by adding some spiciness to it.
MhariLouise
Made it today. Delish!!!! I'm no chef (enjoy baking more), but recipe was foolproof!!!! Thanks for making it WW-friendly! ??
Lacey
Can you tell me how to add flavor to mine? I'm not sure what went wrong but it tastes more like watered down chicken broth and I don't want to throw it out! Any suggestions?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Lacey,
I would suggest the addition of chicken bouillon. I like a product called, "better than bouillon." It comes in a jar. You'll find it in the soup aisle with the other broths/bouillons. Hope this helps.
jan boozell
Ours was green. Was yours?
Lisa
I watched the video first and you talked about flour but ingredients say cornstarch? Also there is nutmeg listed in ingredients but not in video? You say in the video about a half and half + milk mixture but there is no milk listed in ingredients?
I know recipes change I just wondered which you liked better?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Lisa,
Sorry for the confusion. The video is actually a different recipe that I haven't tried. I have moved it to the bottom of the post to be less confusing. Please use the written instructions. Hope the helps! - Martha
Carole Frazier
I have never had the Olive Garden gnocchi soup, but this is delicious. Would never know it is a lighter version of an original. My daughter also loved it and does not eat lighter.
Maryanne Vermillion
Another recipe for my "make often" recipe file. Followed recipe exactly and it was perfect. Only small change was I added some tapioca to thicken it a bit. This will be made often in the winter months. Delicious!!
Joyce Galiette
This recipe was fair. I did not use rotisserie chicken, which is highly flavored. Even though I added some salt, it was not enough. I agree with the previous comment that this was watery, not thick, and it didn’t call for enough corn starch to make it thick. There was too much liquid and not enough content. If I made this again, I would omit the water, add more salt and add more spinach.
Amy
Loved this. Perfect for a snowy evening. Hearty and tasty!
judy rogan
This soup is excellent! This is the second time that I've made this and used Better than Bouillion instead of chicken broth. I think it made all of the difference. I used only 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Love it!!!
Sheila R Lehmenkuler
Excellent. Just the two of us, cut the recipe in half. I also used 1/4 cup half and half, 1/4 cup skim milk, instead of all half and half. I used chicken broth with a teaspoon of Better than Bouillion. Very tasty soup. It's a keeper.
Karen Miller
Has anyone tried this with Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi?
Jean
Do you think whole or skim milk would work in place of fat free half and half
Martha McKinnon
Hi Jean, I've only made it with fat free half and half. It might be a bit less rich tasting with milk, especially skim milk. Evaporated milk is another option. If you try it, let us know how it turns out for you. ~ Martha