Cold winter days call for some hearty comfort food. This creamy instant pot gnocchi soup is a perfect one-pot meal for such days and it can be made in just about 30 minutes. This Olive Garden inspired gnocchi soup is very easy to make. It can also be made dairy-free.
It is loaded with vegetables and makes a satisfying meal in itself. You can also serve it with your favorite bread. This instant pot vegetable gnocchi soup can be made ahead of time for meal planning and stored in the fridge to be enjoyed later in the week.
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What is gnocchi made of?
Gnocchi, pronounced as 'noh-kee', is a variety of dumplings originating from Italian cuisine. It may look like pasta but it is made from potatoes, semolina, and sometimes eggs. There are eggless and gluten-free options of gnocchi available in the stores.
What is gnocchi soup made out of?
This gnocchi soup is inspired by Olive Garden Gnocchi soup but it is the vegetarian version. The main ingredient is gnocchi or potato dumplings. You get a variety of gnocchi in the grocery stores in the pasta aisle and I have used the egg-free potato gnocchi for this recipe.
Potato gnocchi soup is loaded with all the goodness of a variety of vegetables like celery, carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, spinach, mushrooms, and you can add your favorite ones.
The creaminess in the soup comes from heavy cream and cheddar cheese, however, to make it vegan you can use coconut milk and corn starch slurry.
Herbs and spices like rosemary, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, and black pepper adds the flavor to this rich and creamy soup.
How to make creamy gnocchi soup?
It is really very easy to make this creamy gnocchi soup in the instant pot in just about 30 minutes. Once you have all the vegetables chopped, it is a breeze to make this hearty soup. I have made this soup in the 6 qt. instant pot.
The first step is to saute the onions and minced garlic in olive oil for a few seconds on the saute mode. After that saute all the veggies except broccoli and spinach as they cook really fast and are best to add later in the process.
Once the veggies are well sauteed, add the vegetable stock and deglaze the bottom of the instant pot with a spatula. After that add the potato gnocchi ensuring it is covered with the liquid or press it down with the spatula. Finally, add the broccoli florets, rosemary, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning.
Cook it on high-pressure mode for 1 minute followed by a quick release and then add the grated cheese, heavy cream, pepper, and spinach and give it a mix. The cheese will melt as the soup is hot and the spinach will also get cooked.
Initially, you will feel that the soup is runny but don't worry, after a few minutes it will start thickening. However, if you wish you can add some more cheese to get a desired thick consistency.
How to make vegan gnocchi soup?
The only ingredients that make this soup not suitable for vegans are heavy cream and cheese. To make a dairy-free gnocchi soup in the instant pot, you can replace heavy cream with coconut milk. Also, if you want to make it thicker you can add some cornstarch slurry.
This soup does not contain any gluten but the gnocchi that you use may not be gluten-free. So if you are looking to make this gluten-free, just be sure to check the ingredients on the package to ensure that the gnocchi is gluten-free.
What to serve with gnocchi soup?
This vegetable gnocchi soup is hearty, delicious and a meal in itself. You can serve it as is as a complete meal or with a variety of bread like sourdough bread, French bread, garlic bread, Olive Garden style breadsticks, or pull-apart rolls. While serving the soup, you can sprinkle some pepper, grated cheese, or herbs.
How long is gnocchi soup good for in the fridge?
Gnocchi soup can be refrigerated for 3-4 days in an air-tight container after allowing it to cool down completely. It works well for weekly meal planning and you can make this over the weekend to eat it during the week.
When you are ready to eat, you can simply reheat it in the microwave, stovetop, or saute mode in the instant pot.
Gnocchi soup will thicken after cooking and after storing it in the fridge. So, while reheating, you can add some vegetable stock or water to adjust the consistency to a desired one.
Can you freeze gnocchi soup?
Freezing gnocchi soup does not work very well. On freezing, gnocchi can lose their texture and become mushy. Also, the cream can curdle on reheating so it is not one of the soups that can be made ahead of time and frozen.
However, if you want to do meal planning, a good idea would be to chop and freeze most of the vegetables like celery, carrots, mushrooms, and broccoli. This will save a lot of prep time and you can rinse and dump the vegetables while sauteing and then follow the remaining steps.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Gnocchi Soup (Vegetarian)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz Potato gnocchi (found in the pasta aisle)
- 4 cup Vegetable stock (or water)
Vegetables
- 1 cup Onion (chopped)
- 2 stalks Celery (diced)
- 2 medium Carrots (diced)
- 1 cup Bell pepper (chopped, red or any color)
- ½ cup Mushroom (sliced)
- 1 cup Broccoli (chopped to small florets)
Oil, salt, and spices
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 twigs Rosemary
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 count Bay leaf
To be added after cooking
- 1 teaspoon Pepper (adjust to taste)
- ½ cup Spinach (or spring mix)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- ¼ cup Cheddar cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Turn on the instant pot on the saute mode on normal setting.
- Add onions and garlic and saute them for a few seconds.
- Add celery, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, and salt.
- Continue to saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock and deglaze the bottom of the instant pot with a spatula.
- Add the potato gnocchi ensuring it is covered with the liquid.
- Finally, add the broccoli florets, rosemary, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning.
- Press cancel to come out of the saute mode.
- Close and lock the lid with the pressure release valve in the sealing position.
- Cook on high-pressure mode for 1 minute followed by a quick release. (turn on keep warm setting)
- Add the grated cheese, heavy cream, pepper, and spinach and give it a mix.
- Keep the "keep warm" setting on until you are ready to serve.
Notes
- Initially, the soup will look liquidy but it will thicken after a few minutes.
- If you want to make the soup thicker, you can add some more shredded cheese.
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