Ingredients
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken (peppercorn, garlic, herb), chopped (4–5 cups)
5 c water, divided
2 15-oz jars Alfredo sauce
2 t Italian seasoning
½ t salt
½ t pepper
2 17.5-oz pkg potato gnocchi
4 c chopped kale
8 t pesto
Directions
1 In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2 Add chicken, water, sauce, and seasonings; bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in gnocchi and spinach; cook until gnocchi floats, 3–8 minutes. Check consistency, if too thick add additional cup of water.
3 Top each serving with 1 teaspoon of pesto.
This soup was good but has better potential. I felt as though I was short-changing the flavor because many of the elements of this recipe are bought pre-made. The original recipe even had “roasted garlic Alfredo sauce” as an ingredient rather than adding garlic to the soup. Buying all of the ingredients as listed did cut down on the time it took to make the soup though. If I had roasted my own chicken, which I have done, and made my own gnocchi, which I’ve never done, I’m sure it would have taken multiple nights for me to complete this soup. But making homemade pesto, which I have done, and making homemade Alfredo sauce, which I have also done, don’t take very long and are so much better in their homemade versions. I should have looked at the recipe in more detail and adjusted my weekly grocery shopping list to make those two elements instead of buying them jarred. I have never had a jarred Alfredo sauce that doesn’t taste like it comes out of a jar. And the jarred pesto that I found in the grocery store was a bit dry and sour, so I ended up tweaking it anyway. When I do make this soup again, I will definitely make the pesto and Alfredo but most likely still buy the chicken and gnocchi. I should also note that the original recipe used spinach instead of kale. I used kale because I think it stands up better in soups than spinach. Spinach seems to go slimy and blobby, but kale holds its shape and structure. Also, the second recipe this week uses kale, so my efficiency gene kicked in to get 1 big bag of kale for the week instead of kale and spinach and have leftovers of both. To end on a positive flavor note, I’ve never before had Chicken Gnocchi soup finished with pesto. It adds a wonderful lightness to a heavy soup. I love pesto, so I’m happy to have found another way to incorporate it into cooking! I just think I’ll make it fresh next time.
If you’d like to see the original recipes my posts are based on or read Taste of Home’s article that inspired my 50 Soups in 25 Weeks blogging, go to: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/soups-to-keep-you-warm-this-fall/.
