Sixteen ingredients, fifty-five minutes, one pot. Everything after the first step cooks in the fat the pancetta leaves behind.
This is a creamy soup and it becomes one only in step 5. Until then the pot holds a clear broth; the half-and-half and Parmesan go in at the end, over low heat, and turn it opaque.
Why This Recipe Works
- Rendering the pancetta first gives a tablespoon of flavoured fat for the onion and carrot to cook in.
- Taking it out before the liquid keeps it crisp for the top of the bowl.
- Cooking the gnocchi in the broth rather than separately means they take up its flavour.
- Adding the spinach with the dairy is enough to wilt it without cooking it grey.
- Keeping the heat low after the half-and-half goes in stops the soup from splitting.
Ingredient Notes
- Pancetta or bacon
- Four ounces, diced and rendered first. It leaves the tablespoon of fat the vegetables cook in and returns crisp at the end.
- Potato gnocchi
- A 16 oz package, cooked in the broth to the packet timing. Floating is the cue that they are done.
- Half-and-half
- A cup, in at the end over low heat. It is what turns the broth opaque, and it is why the pot must not be boiled hard afterwards.
- Carrots in thin strips
- Two, cut into strips rather than rounds. They stay visible as strips in the finished bowl.
How to Make It
Render the pancetta, take it out
Cook pancetta in a soup pot until crisp; transfer to a plate and leave 1 tablespoon fat in the pot.
Onion and carrot in the fat
Add olive oil if needed, then cook onion and carrot 4 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
Chicken and broth, to 165F
Add chicken, broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gnocchi until they float
Add gnocchi and cook according to package timing until tender and floating.
Low heat, then the dairy
Reduce heat to low. Stir in spinach, half-and-half, and Parmesan until the broth turns opaque and creamy; do not boil hard.
Pancetta back, on top
Serve topped with the crisp pancetta, parsley, and a light dusting of paprika.
Fat, Then Broth, Then Cream
The pot is in three different states across this recipe, and the ingredient that starts it is the one that finishes it - having spent the whole middle stage out on a plate.
Stage 1 of 3
Fat - and one ingredient set aside
Steps 1–2 of 6
4 oz of diced pancetta rendered crisp and TRANSFERRED OUT, with 1 tbsp of its fat kept in the pot. Then 1 diced onion and 2 carrots in thin strips for 4 minutes, and 3 garlic cloves for 30 seconds. The pancetta is out for everything that follows: thirty minutes in liquid would soften the only crisp thing in the bowl.
- Render the pancetta, take it outCook pancetta in a soup pot until crisp; transfer to a plate and leave 1 tablespoon fat in the pot.
- Onion and carrot in the fatAdd olive oil if needed, then cook onion and carrot 4 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
Stage 2 of 3
Broth - still clear
Steps 3–4 of 6
1 1/2 lb of chicken chunks with 6 cups of broth, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, simmered 12 to 15 minutes to 165F. Then a 16 oz package of potato gnocchi cooked in that same broth until tender and floating - not in a separate pot of water, so they take up the flavour rather than plain water.
- Chicken and broth, to 165FAdd chicken, broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Gnocchi until they floatAdd gnocchi and cook according to package timing until tender and floating.
Stage 3 of 3
Cream - and the heat comes down first
Steps 5–6 of 6
Heat to LOW, then 2 cups of baby spinach, 1 cup of half-and-half and 1/3 cup of Parmesan until the broth turns opaque and creamy. Low first, and no hard boil after: this is the point where the soup becomes creamy, and the point where it would split if rushed. Finished with the crisp pancetta returned on top, 2 tbsp parsley and a dusting of paprika.
- Low heat, then the dairyReduce heat to low. Stir in spinach, half-and-half, and Parmesan until the broth turns opaque and creamy; do not boil hard.
- Pancetta back, on topServe topped with the crisp pancetta, parsley, and a light dusting of paprika.
Success Tips
- Leave only a tablespoon of the rendered fat; four ounces of pancetta gives more than the soup needs.
- Wait for the gnocchi to float before adding anything else.
- Drop the heat before the half-and-half goes in and keep it there.
Serving Ideas
Six white bowls of the creamy pale broth with the gnocchi, chicken chunks, wilted spinach and carrot strips through it, each topped with the crisp pancetta, chopped parsley and a light dusting of paprika.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why take the pancetta out?
So it stays crisp. Left in the pot for thirty minutes of simmering it softens, and the crisp pieces on top are part of what the finished bowl looks like.
Will the soup split?
Not on low heat. The half-and-half goes in over a gentle heat in step 5 and the pot is not boiled hard after that.
Can I use noodles instead of gnocchi?
Not in this recipe. The gnocchi are a defining component.
