Italian vegetable gnocchi soup is a simple hearty, budget-friendly soup. Full of vegetables and pillowy soft gnocchi in a rich tomato-based broth, it's topped with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. This cozy soup can be ready in less than an hour.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This easy Italian Vegetable Gnocchi Soup is one of my favourite cozy soup recipes! I'm drawn to rustic Italian flavours, like those in my Instant Pot Tuscan Soup made with sausage, but this gnocchi soup gets its rich flavour solely from vegetables and Italian herbs.
- And if you need to avoid gluten in your diet, this soup is for you! It's easy to make with gluten-free gnocchi!
- Full of carrots, onions, celery, San Marzano tomatoes, baby spinach, zucchini, Italian seasoning, and gnocchi, this soup is topped with an optional sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Packed full of healthy vegetables in a rich tomato broth, this is a perfect meal for a chilly night.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions
You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about the ingredients.
- fresh healthy vegetables: onions, fennel, carrots, celery, zucchini and baby spinach
- tomatoes: canned, San Marzano tomatoes are delicious in this recipe.
- gnocchi: I use gluten-free gnocchi, but you can use any type if you don't need this recipe to be free of gluten.
- dried herbs: or fresh basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and dried chili flakes.
- parmesan cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano has the most flavour!
🔪 How to make vegetable soup with gluten-free gnocchi
Here's a quick overview of what you'll do to make this recipe perfectly. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Sauté onion, celery, fennel, carrots, and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add chili flakes, dried herbs, broth, zucchini, and tomatoes. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the gnocchi and continue cooking until it floats to the top or is soft and tender.
- Add the spinach and stir just until wilted.
- Ladle into bowls and serve garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and/or freshly chopped parsley.
🔁 Possible Variations
- Add a couple of rinds of Parmigiano Reggiano to the soup pot for extra rich flavour. Be sure to remove them before serving.
- Use the vegetables you have on hand in your fridge. I often add green beans or corn to this recipe.
- You can also use Fire-Roasted Tomatoes instead of San Marzano tomatoes. My favourite is the Muir Glen brand. (affiliate link)
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
You can easily halve this recipe and make four servings instead of eight. Click on the '8' in the recipe card and move the little slider to '4.' The cooking directions remain the same.
❓Reader's Questions
Yes! This soup is easy to make in an Instant Pot.
Start by sautéing the vegetables in olive oil, using the Sauté function on your Instant Pot.
Add the herbs, broth, zucchini and tomatoes.
Pressure cook for 2 minutes, then let the pressure release quickly using the Quick Release function. Remove the lid.
Select the Sauté function again and add the gnocchi. You'll know it's done when it floats to the top, or if it doesn't, simply test a piece to see if it's tender.
Add the spinach and stir just until wilted. Then, correct the seasoning and ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish and serve.
🍽 What to serve with Vegetable Gnocchi Soup
Serve vegetable gnocchi soup with homemade herbed gluten-free baking powder biscuits, fresh from the oven, or Mini Gluten-free Broccoli Cheese Muffins.
Make a simple fruit crisp for dessert, like this Pecan-Pear Crisp, Apple Crisp with Salted Caramel Bourbon Sauce, Cherry Crisp with frozen cherries or these Puff Pastry Cherry Hand Pies!
⏰ Storage Instructions
To store: Stored covered in the fridge, this soup will last for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Reheat over medium heat in a saucepan on the stovetop, or reheat in the microwave.
Freezing: If you want to freeze this soup, don't add the gnocchi before freezing as it tends to turn a little mushy. Freeze the soup separately, then cook the gnocchi and add to the soup when ready to serve.
🗒More recipes with gluten-free gnocchi
- Cheesy Tomato Gnocchi Bake (no boil): a one-pan, 30-min. skillet meal!
- Sheet Pan Roasted Gnocchi with Fall Vegetables: in browned butter sauce!
- Easy Vegetarian Pesto Gnocchi: Mediterranean flavours in a skillet meal.
🗒 More healthy gluten-free soup recipes
When you make this Italian Vegetable Gnocchi Soup, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and receive new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Italian Vegetable Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 cups onion, finely diced
- 1 cup fennel, finely diced
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 small zucchini
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 6 cups vegetable stock or broth
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 12 oz gnocchi gluten-free, if necesary
- 2 cups fresh spinach, or chopped kale with ribs and stems removed
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated, for garnish (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pan heat oil, then sauté onion, celery, fennel, and carrots, for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring to cook evenly. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.
- Add chili flakes, dried herbs, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Next, add in zucchini, reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until veggies are crisp-tender, about 12 – 15 minutes.
- Add gnocchi and continue cooking until it floats to the top, 3 - 5 minutes.
- Add the spinach and stir just until wilted.
- Ladle into bowls and serve garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and/or freshly chopped parsley.
Lee
Loved this! Made it with gluten free gnocchi.