Quick Notes: This is an Olive Garden copycat. It’s one of my favorite soups, and it is pretty simple. On the topic of carrots, grating a fresh carrot is the best, but it’s such a pain in the ass. If you want to buy shredded carrots and use that you can do that too.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 cup shredded/grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup cooked chicken, cut into small bite sized pieces
• 16 oz gnocchi

Directions

1. In a huge pot, over medium high heat, warm the oil.
2. Add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots. Cook stirring frequently until the onions are clear. Remove from the pot, and set aside.
3. Add butter to the pot and melt. Once, melted, stir in flour to make a roux.
4. Whisk in half and half. Bring to a simmer.
5. Add the cooked veggies back in and allow to simmer about another five minutes, or at least until the soup begins to thicken.
6. Whisk in chicken stock.
7. Add chicken, seasonings, and spinach. Allow to come to a simmer.
8. Cook another five minutes and remove from heat.