4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half
28 oz. chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped spinach leaves (I used frozen)
1 cup cooked chicken
16 oz. ready-to-use gnocchi
In a large soup pot, melt butter into olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic. (I use the minced garlic that comes in a jar. It's a huge time saver. Look for it in the produce section and keep it in your refrigerator. Also, use a food processor to chop the veggies fast!)
Cook, stirring often, until the onions become transparent.
Whisk in chicken stock. Simmer again.
Stir in salt, thyme, parsley, nutmeg, carrots, and spinach.
(For chicken, you can either cook a chicken in the crock pot ahead of time - you'll also have the stock you need for this recipe - or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Either way, you will have extra chicken to use in another recipe.)
Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer until ready to eat. Season to taste.
This recipe makes about 10 cups.