Sausage Gnocchi Soup

1 lb. ground sausage
1 small white onion, diced
4 cups broth
Red bell pepper, diced
Fresh spinach, chopped
1 lb. mini gnocchi (or cut in half the regular sized ones)
1 pint heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
Parm Cheese
Crumbled bacon

Brown sausage with onions and red peppers, drain.  Add broth and cream to soup pot and heat. Then add sausage mixture, salt & pepper. Cook on med/high until boiling then reduce temp. and add gnocchi & spinach.  Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with parm and crumbled bacon.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1/3 cup butter, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 pkg. (16 oz.) potato gnocchi
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, brown chicken in 2 tbsp butter.  Remove and keep warm.  In the same pan, saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in remaining butter until tender.
Whisk in flour until blended; gradually stir in the milk, cream, bouillon and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Add the gnocchi and spinach; cook for 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  Add the chicken.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). I add a little chicken broth during those last minutes of cooking.
*Look for the potato gnocchi in the pasta section.

**I use a rotisserie chicken and also double the recipe.

***DELICIOUS!

Missy's Potato Soup

(Missy (my sister-n-law) made this on Christmas day this past year and it was so easy and good we have already made it several times since.)

1 32 oz frozen southern style diced hash browns
1 pint half-n-half
1 pint whipping cream
milk
shredded cheddar cheese
Oscar Mayer real bacon recipe pieces
salt & pepper
(you may need to add a little flour, 1 or 2 tbls. to thicken the soup)
***

Microwave potatoes until thawed. Mix potatoes, half-n-half and whipping cream into large stove top cookware. Add milk to completely cover potatoes. Salt and Pepper. Cook on medium to low heat for about an hour, stirring constantly. When done, add to soup bowls then top with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon pieces.

***I like to saute some chopped onions in butter first before adding the potatoes and other ingredients, and top with some fresh or dried chives when adding the cheese and bacon.

Baked Potato Soup

4 baking potatoes
2/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt & pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pierce potatoes with a fork. Bake on a greased baking sheet for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel (I leave most of the peeling on mine) and coarsely mash.

In a large pot, add flour, milk, and chicken broth. Stir until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 - 10 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cover and cook over low heat 10 - 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with shredded cheese, onions, and crumbled bacon. Garnish with cracked black pepper.

(To make a larger pot of soup for my boys, I use 6 potatoes , and add 2 cups water with the milk and broth.)

*This is so much yummier the second day. I topped each bowl with a slice of Kraft Velveeta cheese before reheating in the microwave.