Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

My mom and I enjoyed the soup and salad lunch at Olive Garden a few months ago and fell in love with their Chicken and Gnocchi soup.  Mmmm, so good. As soon as I got home I searched for a highly rated copycat recipe for it and found this.  Yummy.

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Recipezaar (now Food.com)

• 3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 onions, diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 to taste salt and pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) potato gnocchi
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.

Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

(Heat to boiling and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 Tbsp water at this point if you want a thicker soup.).

Ladle into bowls and serve!