It is so cold almost everywhere right now. When it is cold, I want warm soup. I found this fascinating recipe for Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup on Pinterest. I discovered Gnocchi a couple of years ago and was immediately smitten. However, I don’t like Italian Sausage. So, I improvised. Instead of Italian Sausage, I used regular smoked sausage. Since it was my first time to make this delicious soup, we didn’t have anything to compare it to. Jared & I loved it. Kati Ann loved the broth and tried the gnocchi, but I think she needs time to warm up to it. When it comes to food, Kie doesn’t count…yet.
Here is the recipe (as in the way I made it) to this fancy soup. Well, we consider it fancy at our house where we don’t branch out much.
- 1 (7 oz) link of Turkey smoked sausage (I bought it in a 14 oz package but only used 1/2 the package)
- 2 cups water
- 1 (14oz) can fat-free, less sodium beef broth (or 1C water and 1 beef bouillon cube)
- 1 (14½ oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
- 1 Tbsp dry Italian Seasoning mix
- 1 (16 oz) package vacuum-packed gnocchi
- ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- Slice sausage into pieces.
- Cook sausage in cast iron skillet until brown. Place in stock pot.
- Add water, beef broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning to pot; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Add gnocchi simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until float to the top of the pot.
- Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle each serving evenly with cheese.
I served with these cheese bread sticks. 
Jared thought shrimp might be a good addition to this soup. I’m not sure what I think about that. Seems it would make it a bit Cajun when it is supposed to be Italian, but I’m willing to try.
One last note: this soup is delicious but not nearly as good warmed up.
Question: What soup recipes do you love during cold weather? Any suggestions for this soup?
