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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.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
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 a Bomb!!! OMG! I made it tonight and it was a winner for my family. I will definitely make this soup again. I made some changes by adding about a cup of cubed butternut squash and carrots. Also I like my chicken broth to simmer for at least 20 minutes. So I let the the broth simmer for 15 min, then brought it to a boil again and added the potato gnocchi and simmer for 5 min as you instructed. Then added the last step of spinach , cheese and half and half cream to the soup. It was a delicious Soup Ever! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I’m so happy you like it! Love the addition of the squash.
This recipe got even better feedback than your baked potato soup, which I made a few weeks ago – this gnocchi soup is now the best thing I’ve ever cooked for my boyfriend, apparently (the baked potato soup comes in second place)! I used veg stock so it was veggie-friendly, and it was delicious.
Haha I’m so glad to hear that!!
Can you use whole milk or half and half instead of heavy cream?
I’d try the half and half.
Absolutely delicious! I was worried the soup was going to be too thin, but I was just being impatient. I let it cook on medium for another 5-8 minutes and it was perfect. I used a tomato basil gnocchi for a little extra flava 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Good idea on the tomato basil gnocchi… mmm!
Do you think this would be good with a non-dairy substitute like coconut milk? I like to meal prep and creams/dairy milks don’t usually last too long for me.
Hi! Hmm… it’s hard for me to say with this. It will have a coconutty flavor and may end up a little bit oily, but you could give it a go.
I did make this soup with coconut milk and it was absolutely delicious. My kids couldn’t tell the difference at all.
Absolutely love this recipe also! Just made for the first time and actually added a couple of addtl items as well. Taste is incredible and will definately make again!
So happy to hear you like it, Amy! 🙂
So delicious!!! Followed recipe exactly and it was perfect! But I love the suggestions of alternatives other readers have given in the comments.
So happy you enjoyed it ♥️🤗
Really, really good. My first recipe of yours to try and will be cooking more based on how this turned out! I was really surprised at how flavorful it was based on the simplicity of the recipe. Loved that I could do all the prep first and then have a short cook time once we were ready for dinner too. Thanks so much!
Excellent!! So glad you enjoyed it, Kristin!
This is a delicious recipe ! We just made it today .
Wonderful!
I just made this soup today! Excellent recipe! I will def make it again!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it, Amy!
Rich and delicious. I added diced carrots and a can of northern white beans, also a couple dashes of hot sauce. I think they were good additions to a really good recipe.
Awesome! Thanks! 🙂