In the Italian family, soup is always appreciated. From the soup that you make to get back your health overnight pastina soup to the Italian wedding soup and my grandma's soup which has escarole and is consumed during the Xmas, all the soups give a sense of comforting and has bliss of yester years. Simply and to the point, to our mind, soup does indeed comfort the spirit.

Creamy vegetable dumpling soup was formatted by such mere thought as instead of pasta can we use dumplings for the soup? A great shortcut was included in the recipe too. It takes time to prepare the potato gnocchi but it becomes a substitute for homemade dumplings, and placing it directly in the broth helps enhance taste.

The end result is so easy, tasty, and so yummy that it has become one of our 'go to' dishes. For extra Italian flavor, a dollop of coconut milk, the zest from half a lemon, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, this soup is an easy way to warm the soul.

What Kind of Gnocchi To Use

I am not very keen on gnocchi and so far, after trying several types, I prefer the classic potato gnocchi that we get from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. You should find it packed shelf-stable packages in the aisle where pastas are located.

I also like Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi that is gluten-free. Besides, we also use jar sauce that has a longer list of ingredients and is set at 3pm. However, as one must cook the product from the frozen state, the soup takes longer to come to boil and the gnocchi to cook compared to other shelf stable products. Surprisingly, the cauliflower gnocchi are denser than normal and bigger in the soup which is not a bad thing at all.

It's the easiest soup you can ever imagine and any gnocchi works greatness in this soup—just cook the gnocchi according to the heating instructions in the back of the package. The only thing that is going to change about the method is the title.

Easy Recipe Variations

There is another point why I always serve it – it is very versatile: It's also very flexible depending on which type of flavor you fancy as well as which ingredients you might have at any given time. Often we add spinach or kale, soy curls and more about fresh herbs you can imagine.

Some other welcome additions:

• Spinach, kale, or escarole
• Shredded rotisserie chicken
• Cooked, crumbed sausage
• Discarded chickpeas or canned white beans
• Norms such as broccoli or peas receive the very best of treatment and are put in the freezer as vegetables.

This also now means you can change the dried spices and include dried rosemary, sage and Italian seasonings with the dried thyme and oregano used in the formula list.

If you're using Better than Bouillon paste, mix 1 tsp./cup water and then 1 more tsp for a total of 7 teaspoons.

With frozen gnocchi, simply heed the same direction as mentioned above. They will only take a few minutes longer to boil and the cook time for the gnocchi could be slightly more.

If you're using Trader Joe's Cauliflower gnocchi, use 1 1/2 of a 12-ounce bag.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 medium carrots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon, freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 250ml reduced sodium vegetable stock half the amount of one standard cup. 6 cups of meat free reduced-sodium vegetable broth or stock, for example Knorr Cube.
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 16 ounces potato gnocchi
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• ¼ fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt, to taste

Optional for serving

• Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top or a cheesy flavoring called nutritional yeast.
• Crushed red chili flakes

Method

Chop the vegetables and heat the oil:

Finely dice one onion, one celery stalk and one large carrot. And while you're at it, you should also chop up 1 cup of onion, 1 cup of carrots, and 1 1/2 cups of celery. Finely chop the garlic and put it aside.

Turn the stove to medium high heat and place a 4-quart pot or a Dutch oven and then followed by putting the olive oil.

Sauté the vegetables:

Once they are sparkling, add the onions, celery, and carrots and sauté till the onions are only slightly browned, approximately 4 minutes. Reduce the warmth and stir into the sauce the garlic, pepper, thyme and oregano. Stir the mixture and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables start developing a somewhat discretionary aroma.

Add the liquid and bring to a boil:

Also incorporate the vegetable broth coconut milk. Add more heat to medium high and allow the soup to boil, the boiling should take about five to six minutes.

Cook the gnocchi:

Mix the gnocchi with the mixture and return to a boil. Prepare according to the package ambience, which is 2 to 3 min for shelf-stable potato gnocchi, or until the gnocchis float to the top.

Season and serve:

After that, pull the soup off the heat and then stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Taste, adding salt to taste. Consume it freshly cooked with your red chili flakes and Parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast if preferred.

Any remaining portions should be put in a sealable container and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Heating it up in a pot over medium low heat until the soup is warm.