Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (without Milk or Heavy Cream!)

Instant pot chicken gnocchi soup in a bowl with a hand dipping bread into it.

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (without Milk or Heavy Cream!)

If you're a fan of Olive Garden's beloved chicken gnocchi soup, you're in the right place! My Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup is inspired by this restaurant classic but it's made without any heavy cream and, instead, uses protein-packed greek yogurt to keep the soup extra rich and delicious. With the help of an instant pot, you can make this soup in under an hour. It's so tasty, easy, and satisfying!

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Diabetic, Low Calorie, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Prep Time 27

Cook Time 33

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 250kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost 15

Equipment

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 cup diced yellow onion (about ½ an onion)
⅔ cup thinly sliced celery (about 3 ribs)
1 cup thinly sliced carrot (about 4 large carrots)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 garlic cloves)
2 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ pounds)
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 (17.6 ounce) package gnocchi (about 2 ¾ cups) I like to use the fresh kind in the refrigerator section of the pasta aisle
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 (5 ounce) container fresh baby spinach
1 cup plain greek yogurt

Instructions

Place bacon in a single layer at the bottom of your instant pot. Do not overlap. You might need to work in batches if all the bacon doesn’t fit. It’s okay if the ends of the bacon have to go up the sides a little bit.
Set instant pot to the “saute” setting and cook bacon for 5 to 7 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove bacon from the pot and set on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any remaining grease. Crumble bacon into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
With instant pot still on the “saute” setting, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook in the bacon grease for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to turn translucent, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Place chicken breasts on top of the onions and other vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and season with bay leaf, the whole sprig of rosemary, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Cover instant pot with the lid. Set the valve to the “sealing position” and pressure cook on high pressure for 9 minutes.
When the timer is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before switching the valve to “venting” and manually releasing any remaining pressure.
Remove the lid and discard bay leaf and the stem of the rosemary sprig.
Remove chicken and place it on a plate or cutting board. Shred chicken using two forks.
Set instant pot back to the “saute” setting. Once soup starts to simmer, add the gnocchi and stir. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until gnocchi is tender and floats to the top.
Turn off the pot. Stir in shredded chicken, parmesan cheese, and spinach just until it wilts.
Stir in the greek yogurt until fully combined.
Serve soup warm with crispy bacon pieces sprinkled on top.

Notes

If you like an even creamier soup, just add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour when you add the garlic to the veggies. This will result in a slightly thicker soup! But just make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so nothing burns!
If you can’t find refrigerated gnocchi, the shelf-stable gnocchi (found with the other dried pastas) would work just as well.

Nutrition