Turkey Gnocchi Soup

Turkey Gnocchi Soup

  • Duration

    1 to 4 hours

  • Serves

    6
Chef’s notes

One of the things I love most about recipe development is that you can start a recipe off with one idea and end up with something very different. This soup, for example, began as a riff on Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup, but somewhere along the way, nostalgia hit. The aromatic smell of leeks cooking in bubbling butter began to tug on old memories of my great-grandmother's soup. I can see her now, hovering over the copper-bottomed Revere Ware stockpot, stirring a humble potato and dumpling soup made with chicken stock, cream, and celery seed. It wasn’t until I lived in North Dakota that I learned this soup had a name—knoephla.

The only problem with knoephla is that it never keeps me full for long. That's why I like adding turkey for protein so it sticks to the ribs. It's particularly good with wild turkey if you have it, because it's much more flavorful than domestic turkey and definitely more flavorful than chicken.

This recipe is a nod to my great-grandmother and the classic German soup, but instead of potatoes and dumplings, I opted to just use gnocchi, an Italian dumpling made with potato. I suppose this element might make this more similar to Olive Garden's soup (hence the reference to Olive Garden). Regardless, it hits two birds with one stone, and you can buy gnocchi pre-made at most grocery stores. As a new mom looking to simplify dinner, I’m all for easy shortcuts!

This is one of the few instances where I think the breast meat is better than the thighs, but you can use either one (just know that the thighs will take a long time to tenderize, so plan accordingly). I also prefer the shredded pieces of meat instead of clunky cubes. To get that desired effect, you'll want to cut the turkey into big portions that simmer until it shreds apart instead of dicing it like stew meat.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. turkey (breast or thigh)
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Cracked white pepper (substitute with black)
  • 1½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary or thyme, divided
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • Oil for cooking
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 1 leek, sliced into half-moons
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 celery sticks, sliced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • ¼ tsp. celery seed
  • 6 cups chicken stock, unsalted
  • 1 lb. gnocchi
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Fresh chopped parsley, dill, or celery leaves for garnish

Preparation

  1. If using breast meat, cut into large rectangular pieces, about 1” thick and 4” long and wide. These longer strips will cook down faster and leave you with shredded meat instead of chunky cubes. If using the thighs, you can keep the meat on the bone. Season the turkey with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of rosemary.
  2. Spread the flour across a plate and dredge each piece of turkey, shaking off excess.
  3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom in a thin layer and brown the turkey for several minutes until golden in color. Work in batches as needed. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add the butter, and once foamy and melted, stir in the onion. Cook the onion until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the leek. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes and season with a pinch of salt. Then mix in the garlic, celery, and carrots. Season again with a pinch of salt, pepper, celery seed, and the remaining minced rosemary. Stir to incorporate, then pour in the stock and return the turkey.
  5. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover with a lid and cook until the turkey is fork tender and shreds apart with a fork. Breast meat will take 1 to 1½ hours, but the thigh meat could take 4 hours.
  6. Remove the lid and stir in the gnocchi and heavy cream. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes to let the gnocchi soften.
  7. Serve hot and garnish with minced fresh herbs.

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Turkey Gnocchi Soup

Recipe by: Danielle Prewett
Turkey Gnocchi Soup
  • Duration

    1 to 4 hours

  • Serves

    6
Chef’s notes

One of the things I love most about recipe development is that you can start a recipe off with one idea and end up with something very different. This soup, for example, began as a riff on Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup, but somewhere along the way, nostalgia hit. The aromatic smell of leeks cooking in bubbling butter began to tug on old memories of my great-grandmother's soup. I can see her now, hovering over the copper-bottomed Revere Ware stockpot, stirring a humble potato and dumpling soup made with chicken stock, cream, and celery seed. It wasn’t until I lived in North Dakota that I learned this soup had a name—knoephla.

The only problem with knoephla is that it never keeps me full for long. That's why I like adding turkey for protein so it sticks to the ribs. It's particularly good with wild turkey if you have it, because it's much more flavorful than domestic turkey and definitely more flavorful than chicken.

This recipe is a nod to my great-grandmother and the classic German soup, but instead of potatoes and dumplings, I opted to just use gnocchi, an Italian dumpling made with potato. I suppose this element might make this more similar to Olive Garden's soup (hence the reference to Olive Garden). Regardless, it hits two birds with one stone, and you can buy gnocchi pre-made at most grocery stores. As a new mom looking to simplify dinner, I’m all for easy shortcuts!

This is one of the few instances where I think the breast meat is better than the thighs, but you can use either one (just know that the thighs will take a long time to tenderize, so plan accordingly). I also prefer the shredded pieces of meat instead of clunky cubes. To get that desired effect, you'll want to cut the turkey into big portions that simmer until it shreds apart instead of dicing it like stew meat.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. turkey (breast or thigh)
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Cracked white pepper (substitute with black)
  • 1½ tsp. minced fresh rosemary or thyme, divided
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • Oil for cooking
  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 1 leek, sliced into half-moons
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 celery sticks, sliced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • ¼ tsp. celery seed
  • 6 cups chicken stock, unsalted
  • 1 lb. gnocchi
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Fresh chopped parsley, dill, or celery leaves for garnish

Preparation

  1. If using breast meat, cut into large rectangular pieces, about 1” thick and 4” long and wide. These longer strips will cook down faster and leave you with shredded meat instead of chunky cubes. If using the thighs, you can keep the meat on the bone. Season the turkey with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of rosemary.
  2. Spread the flour across a plate and dredge each piece of turkey, shaking off excess.
  3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom in a thin layer and brown the turkey for several minutes until golden in color. Work in batches as needed. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add the butter, and once foamy and melted, stir in the onion. Cook the onion until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the leek. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes and season with a pinch of salt. Then mix in the garlic, celery, and carrots. Season again with a pinch of salt, pepper, celery seed, and the remaining minced rosemary. Stir to incorporate, then pour in the stock and return the turkey.
  5. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover with a lid and cook until the turkey is fork tender and shreds apart with a fork. Breast meat will take 1 to 1½ hours, but the thigh meat could take 4 hours.
  6. Remove the lid and stir in the gnocchi and heavy cream. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes to let the gnocchi soften.
  7. Serve hot and garnish with minced fresh herbs.