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This creamy spinach gnocchi soup recipe with parmesan cheese and mushrooms is easy to make, filling and warming, and very comforting. It’s ready in about 30 minutes!
Try my Easy Baked Potato Soup or Chicken and Wild Rice Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
My Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Gnocchi is one of my readers’ most beloved recipes, so I knew I had to create this mushroom and gnocchi soup with similar flavors! It’s a meatless soup that’s hearty with sautéed mushrooms, and the gnocchi cook right in the soup.
The star of this soup is the parmesan-infused creamy broth. It’s a little bit indulgent and total comfort food! Garlic, real cream, and Italian herbs shine. This mushroom gnocchi soup is rounded out with a pop of fresh spinach, and it’s on the table in half an hour.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion, celery, and garlic – tasty base aromatics. I prefer sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Flour – it thickens the broth
- Mushrooms – use cremini (sometimes referred to as baby bellas)
- Broth – for more savory depth. Use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Italian seasoning – my pantry is never without a jar of this tasty dried herb blend
- Gnocchi – find shelf-stable potato gnocchi in the dry pasta aisle
- Heavy cream – the texture and taste is unmatched for making the broth velvety and irresistible
- Spinach – to add in some greens
- Parmesan – always use freshly grated from a block for meltability
Pro tip
You don’t need to cook the gnocchi separately. In fact, the starch released by them helps to further thicken up the silky broth.
How to make spinach mushroom gnocchi soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large pot, add the olive oil and melt in the butter. Sauté the onion and celery until softened/lightly browned. Stir in the flour until incorporated.
Add in the garlic and mushrooms, then sauté them until the water cooks off. Scrape up the browned bits. Pour in the broth, and add the Italian herbs and gnocchi. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently.
Stir in the heavy cream, spinach, and parmesan. Continue to simmer until the cheese has melted in and the spinach is tender. Taste, and season generously with salt & pepper.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Grate the parmesan cheese with a Microplane zester. It makes the perfect dusting of it for melting into the broth with ease!
- Easily mince the garlic with a garlic press.
- Here’s a Dutch oven I love for my soup recipes, and I store flour in an airtight pantry container for freshness.
Substitutions and variations
- I wouldn’t recommend using homemade gnocchi. It’s very delicate and is liable to fall apart in this soup.
- A few reader swaps include using kale instead of spinach, adding carrots to the veggie sautéing stage, and tossing in some crushed red pepper flakes for a gentle warmth.
What to serve with spinach gnocchi soup
- It’s delish served piping hot with some crusty bread like French bread or sourdough.
- You can definitely pair it with something more substantial (and delicious) like my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- Brighten up the meal with a fresh salad. Try my Easy Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad, this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad, or change it up with a green salad and my Creamy Pesto Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover gnocchi, spinach, and mushroom soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat until warmed through.
- This soup won’t freeze well due to the dairy, and the gnocchi will change texture.
If you made this mushroom and spinach gnocchi soup, tell me about it in the comments below! You can also tag me on Instagram with all your S&L creations.
Parmesan, Mushroom, and Spinach Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced or chopped
- 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil and butter to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Once it's melted, add the onion and celery and sauté for 5 minutes (it's ok if the onions brown a bit). I like to cut up the mushrooms while it's cooking to save time.
- Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or so. Once the mushrooms start to release water, give it a good stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and gnocchi to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat so it’s gently simmering for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Increase the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the spinach is tender and wilted, the cheese melts into the broth, and the broth has thickened up a bit.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. If you wish, you can grate some extra parmesan cheese on top of the bowls.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- I use the “shelf stable” gnocchi that’s found in the dry pasta aisle in my local grocery store.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on April 27, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This soup is so delicious, my whole family LOVED it! I can tell this would be a great base and easy to substitute ingredients and still come out with all the yumminess…thank you so much for this recipe xoxo
I am so happy you enjoyed it!! And absolutely, you could definite tweak it a bit. 🙂
So good! I used Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi… Also subbed in baby Portobello mushrooms… ♥️
Wonderful 🤗♥️
I made this recipe with romano cheese as I didn’t have parmesan – still delicious. I’m not sure if I didn’t do something right as I was expecting more of a chowder consistency. However, it wasn’t too soupy nor thick like chowder – it was somewhere in between. 100x over would make this again. Thanks for posting!
Sounds like you made it correctly! It isn’t a super thick soup. 🙂
Decedent and delicious! Super quick to make too!
Excellent! So pleased you enjoyed it, Heather 😀
I added cream of mushroom instead of the cream & mushrooms separately since I didn’t have fresh mushrooms on me. Also did mozzarella instead of parmesan since it’s what I had. Added chopped carrots and kale instead of spinach. I love that this recipe is still so good despite all of those changes… isn’t soup so easy and comforting? Will definitely make again, hopefully next time with all that I need to properly follow this!
So glad you were able to improvise, Anabelle! 🙂 I love how easy soup is too!!
Could this be made with fresh gnocchi? If so, would you change when you add it?
Hi Sarah! I don’t usually cook with fresh gnocchi, but it tends to be more delicate. I’m a little concerned that if you add it in early it’ll fall apart, but if you add it in later the soup won’t thicken as it’s supposed to. When you say fresh, do you mean like homemade, or do you mean the kind you can buy refrigerated at some grocery stores? I think the latter would probably be fine to add at the same time as the recipe suggests.
Thanks for sharing I plan to try this week – should I cook the gnocchi first according to the box directions or just put it in the soup mixture from the box?
Just add it in straight from the box. It cooks right in the soup and thickens the broth when it releases starch. 🙂
I made this with the cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s and it’s really good! Great recipe!
So glad to hear it, Allyson!
This soup is amazing! I happened on to this recipe & your site and now I am a convert. Thanks for including vegetarian options!
I just made it tonight 🙂 I also added in some fresh green peas for some added veg.
Delicious!
Yay I’m so happy you liked it!! 🙂
This looks delicious!! My sister isn’t a fan of veggie broth, is there anything else I can substitute in that’s also vegetarian?
Hi! Hmm… have you ever tried Better than Bouillon (you add some to water)? If that’s too close to veggie broth, I’d just use water, but make sure you add plenty of salt at the end. You could also perhaps add more Italian seasoning or whatever your favorite herb blend is to give it a bit more flavor.