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This super simple Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon is the perfect cozy bowl for nights when you’re craving Italian, but want something warming. A mix of vegetables, simmered with Italian seasonings, kale, and potato gnocchi. Finish each bowl off with crispy rosemary bacon and serve with crusty bread. It’s hearty, full of greens, and so delicious. Great for just about any night of the week. And the added bonus? You can make this soup on the stove, in the slow cooker, or even in the instant pot!
We had a very cold, very snowy, Saturday this weekend. This soup made for the perfect dinner at home. Over here we’ve officially moved on from fall and have entered the winter season. Is it early? Yes, but that’s what you get when you live in the mountains. There are some who would be a little upset, but since our leaves have long been gone, I’m welcoming the snow with open arms. Even the resorts have opened.
It has me so excited for the holiday season and everything that comes along with it. It’s going to be a busy end of November and an even busier December. But I’m looking forward to all the days ahead!
For me, time is always the issue. I’m once again leaning in on the simple but yet still delicious dinner recipes. Which brings me right to this very cozy bowl of creamy gnocchi soup. This is like the warmest bear hug, but so much better. Oh, how I love this soup! Not only is it all made in one pot (or in the slow cooker/instant pot), but it’s really just the most delicious soup. Think creamy…very, very creamy…a little herby, hearty, and swirled throughout with soft potato gnocchi. But what really seals the deal on this soup?
That salty, crispy, rosemary bacon on top. When combined with the creamy soup, everything is so delicious.
The inspiration.
Well, this one was inspired by two things. First, the snow. Snowy days require a warming recipe like soup. The blowing snow and wind this past weekend were the main source of inspiration.
But my second source was what really started it all. A few weeks ago I had the idea to do a gnocchi soup. I’ve heard Olive Garden serves up a delicious bowl of creamy gnocchi soup. At the time it sounded so good so I wrote the idea down for another day. I knew this recipe had a lot of potential, so I saved it for just the right time. With the weekend’s snowy weather, I knew it was time to test this one out.
But something inspired me to switch up the recipe and give the classic bowl of creamy gnocchi soup my own little twist. I drew inspiration from three recipes, my Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana, my Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup, and my Butternut Squash Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon. I stole elements from all three recipes to create this soup.
And the outcome was delicious! This has to be one of my favorite recipes of the month.
Here’s how you make this creamy gnocchi soup…
As mentioned, you can make this one of three ways, on the stove, low and slow in the slow cooker, and fast and speedy in the instant pot. I’m going to walk you through the stovetop directions, but either option works great.
You’ll want to start with that bacon. Crisp it up, then toss in a handful of freshly chopped rosemary. Once the rosemary hits the bacon grease, it begins to fry up and become crisp. It’s delicious with the salty bacon and adds an unexpected special touch to each bowl.
Of course, if you don’t eat meat, you can easily omit the bacon to make this a vegetarian soup. Just add the rosemary to a skillet with some oil.
Once you’ve cooked the bacon, pull it out of the Dutch oven, and put everything else in. Cook up an onion, add the vegetables, herbs, and spices. Then stir in a touch of butter and flour. I debated back and forth about whether or not we needed the flour to create a creamy soup, but in the end, I wanted this gnocchi soup to be incredibly creamy. A bowl fit for some of the coldest night of the year.
So I added the flour!
Stir in a little broth and simmer everything together to allow the vegetables to cook and the flavors to mend together.
At this point, you’ll finish the soup with a splash of creamy milk and Asiago cheese. Add the gnocchi and simmer a few minutes until the gnocchi is soft.
Easy. EASY. A touch indulgent….and so delicious.
I’d highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread for dipping into that creamy broth. Add a nice side salad for color and you’ll have the perfect easy dinner.
If you’re planning to enjoy this soup leftover, be sure to first remove the gnocchi from the broth before refrigerating. That way the gnocchi won’t soak up all the broth. Then just add the gnocchi back in before serving.
And guys, that’s really about it. A simple recipe for a busy November Monday. If your night needs some warming soup, this should be it. I’m looking forward to making this again tonight on Instagram stories. It’s going to be good!
Looking for other easy Monday night dinners?? Here are my favorites:
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
One Pot Chicken and Sage Dumplings
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1206 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds use to your taste
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4-6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 4-6 cups roughly chopped kale
- 1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk, heavy cream, or whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 pound fresh potato gnocchi
Instructions
Stove-Top
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the rosemary. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the olive oil and onion and cook 5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, fennel, crushed red pepper, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, until very fragrant. 2. Stir in the butter and flour, cook 1 minute. Add 4 cups broth. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.3. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the kale, cream/milk, parmesan, and gnocchi. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth.4. Serve the soup topped with the rosemary bacon and parmesan. Enjoy warm...preferably with a crusty piece of bread.
Slow Cooker
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the rosemary. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the olive oil and onion and cook 5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, fennel, crushed red pepper, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, until very fragrant. 2. Stir in the butter and flour, cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of your crockpot. To the crockpot, add the broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5.4. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale, cream/milk, parmesan, and gnocchi. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth.5. Serve the soup topped with the rosemary bacon and parmesan. Enjoy warm
Instant pot
- 1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the rosemary. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. Add the olive oil and onion and cook 5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, fennel, crushed red pepper, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, until very fragrant. 2. Stir in the butter and flour, cook 1 minute. Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the broth. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Stir in the kale, cream/milk, parmesan, and gnocchi. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes. 4. Serve the soup topped with the rosemary bacon and parmesan. Enjoy warm.
This soup was an absolute hit! Served with the kale pomegranate salad. HBH never fails, thank you Tieghan!
Hey Liz,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend. xTieghan
This was delicious, although I did make some modifications. Thyme, to me, tastes like dirt, so I switched it out for Rosemary, but only did a small amount. (like 1/2 tsp dried) I also felt like 6 carrots was WAY too much. Either that or my carrots were larger than yours. I only did 4. Additionally, for me the soup turned out a bit too heavy/rich. Not because I needed more liquid to thin it out, but because there was too much cream. Next time, and there will be a next time, I plan to do only a cup or less of cream. Or maybe even just use whole milk. All in all this was a hit and I plan to add it to my personal cook book. I love Gnocchi, and in a soup is a fun way to have it. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Christi,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend. xTieghan
Whole family thanks you
Takes a lot of love, gives back 1000 fold
Thanks so much Christopher!! xTieghan
This recipe was beyond incredible. Probably one of the best soups I have ever made to date. Admittedly I was worried initially about how heavy the amount of vegetables were but it only made the recipe even better and made me feel great about serving it to my family. This was a triumph! Thank you for sharing ?
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so happy to hear it was enjoyed! 🙂 xTieghan
I made this today for lunch in between meetings while working at home. I was able to have a hearty meal within 30 minutes. I accidentally left the bacon in but it still worked out. I used cayenne pepper instead of red pepper flakes and substituted the kale with spinach. I used heavy cream and found a great asiago cheese. It was really good. Even my mom liked it and she’s not into new food. Thanks for this recipe and the different cooking methods.
Hey! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
Wish I would have read some of the comments before. The alterations in some of the comments sound great. Personally, I thought there was way too much fennel in the original recipe and I think the outcome would have been better had I sautéd the celery, carrot and garlic in olive oil/white wine WITH the onions prior to adding it all together – especially the garlic. My guests had quite a few comments on this dish which isn’t normal for Tieghan’s recipes.
The original recipe had some good potential but lots of room for improvement. I will give it another try though!
Hey Barb! I’m so sorry about that! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe and for the feedback as well! xTieghan
I love this recipe! Turns out so good with the heavy cream. We swapped the veg broth for chicken broth with white wine, used a spinach & kale blend, and added crushed white peppercorn with the spices. Seriously so good!!!
Hey Rae! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xxTieghan
Very flavorful and easy to make!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xxTieghan
This soup was so good! We added in some smoked country sausage and it paired well together. Will definitely make again!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xxTieghan
I was disappointed in this soup. Looks so good in pictures but the taste just wasn’t there. Especially for the effort and calories this soup costs.
Hey Kelley, I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out the way you hoped! Thanks for giving it a try xxTieghan
I went with coconut cream…. amazing flavour and so silky smooth. A must try.
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
This soup has so much flavor!!! I love this! ?
Hey! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂 xxTieghan
This soup is delicious! I used coconut milk in place of heavy cream and the whole family loved it! The perfect winter dinner.
Hey there! I am SO glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Would oatmilk work? Also where do you get the gnocchi? Is it a pasta?
Hi Edie,
Sure, oat milk will work. Any grocery store should carry gnocchi, it’s typically made from potatoes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
My absolute FAVORITE soup!!! So good and creamy. Can’t wait to make it again today for my annual friends soup party. Thank you!
Hey there! Thank you for trying out this recipe, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
Another favorite! I used spinach instead of kale and added grilled sweet corn! So delicious.
Hey there! Thank you for trying out this recipe, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan