Sunday Soup: Gnocchi and Sausage Soup

Ok, another Sunday Soup for the year, this time its actually on Sunday!  How was everyone's weekend?  Unfortunately I've come down with a little sick bug so I'm doing my best to recoup.  I found this soup on Pinterest and decided to give it a try because I thought Chris would like it for lunches.

Gnocchi and Sausage Soup
(makes about 5 servings, about 1.5 cups each serving)

Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 roasted red pepper (I use the kind packed in olive oil in a jar), diced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, whatever level of spicy you prefer (we buy Carfagna's festival sausage and take it out of the casings)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 32 oz (1 container) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 lb. frozen potato gnocchi (we buy this at Carfagna's as well)
- 2 c. fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- 3/4 c. light half & half
- 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions:
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and red pepper, saute until tender, season with salt and pepper.

- In a separate skillet, brown the sausage and drain when done.

- Add garlic to onion mixture and saute about a minute or two.
- Add sausage, dried basil and chicken stock to the soup pot mixture.  Season with salt and pepper then simmer for 20 minutes.

- Add gnocchi and spinach, bring to a simmer and cook until gnocchi are done (according to package cooking time) should be about 8 minutes or so.  The gnocchis will start to puff up and float when they are done.

- Add half & half and fresh basil then simmer another 3 to 4 minutes.

- Serve with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Chris and I thought this turned out good.  A nice hearty soup for the chilly weather that has joined us in Ohio.  Although today was warmer but dreary, rainy and now tornado warnings!

Next up a Local Foodie Moment and a lightened cheesecakes for two recipe!

Cheers!
Steph