chicken gnocchi soup

 Chicken Gnocchi Soup Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1 pound cooked, cubed chicken breast
4 cups chicken broth (from cooked chicken or use store bought)
1 (16 ounce) package mini potato gnocchi
1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch (Optional)
2 tablespoons cold water (Optional)
2 cups half-and-half cream or (1 cup of half and half and 1 cup of heavy cream to make it creamier) Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.

Step 2
Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, about 3 additional minutes.

Step 3
Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and half-and-half into simmering soup. Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Cook's Note
This soup is a great use of leftover chicken, but in my case I just cooked chicken breast that I seasoned with salt, onion and garlic powder, until done. Also, you can find the gnocchi in the pasta section of your grocery store.