Creamy Sausage Gnocchi Soup in the Slow Cooker

Serves 6 in about 4 hours. The slow cooker brings carrots and baby spinach leaves together.

Ingredients

• 1 lb italian sausage, ground
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon basil, dried
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 1 lb gnocchi
• 2 cups half and half (or heavy cream, evaporated milk) divided
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 5 oz baby spinach leaves

Method

1. Brown sausage in a frying pan until cooked all the way. Drain and add to the slow cooker.
2. Tip in onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Mix and cook on High for 3 hours or Low for 6 hours.
3. When time is up, add gnocchi and 1 cup of the half and half.
4. Stir in the corn starch to the other 1 cup of half and half and whisk it until smooth to make a slurry.
5. Tip in the slurry to the slow cooker and stir. Simmer another 30 minutes on High, or 1 hour on Low.
6. When time is up, stir in the parmesan cheese, then add spinach and stir in. Put the lid back on and let it heat through and wilt.
7. Plate hot.

More slow cooker ideas are in the slow cooker collection.