Sausage Gnocchi Soup

This Sausage Gnocchi Soup is the ultimate cozy fall dinner, loaded with Italian sausage, pillowy gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in an incredibly savory Parmesan cream broth. If you love Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, imagine those same cozy, sausage-forward flavors made even more satisfying with tender gnocchi and a rich tomato-infused broth.

Behind This Sausage Gnocchi Soup Recipe

If you’re the kind of person who starts craving creamy soups the second the weather cools down, then fall is probably your favorite food season too. There’s just something about a pot of soup simmering on the stove, crusty bread nearby, and a dinner that feels warm, filling, and comforting from the very first bite.

If you love Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, this Sausage and Gnocchi Soup will be right up your alley. It has that same creamy, savory Italian sausage flavor profile, but instead of chunks of potatoes, you get pillowy-soft gnocchi in every spoonful, which I find even more satisfying.

What really sets this soup apart is the combination of sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste. They don’t make the soup overly tomato-forward; instead, they add concentrated tanginess and umami that become the savory backbone of the creamy broth.

I’ve been making versions of this soup for over 10 years, tweaking and perfecting it as I go, and it’s one we look forward to bringing back every fall. After all this time, I honestly can’t believe I’m just now sharing it with you.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Use chicken stock rather than broth. Stock generally has a richer body and deeper flavor, which matters in a soup where the liquid makes up such a large portion of every bite. If you only have broth, you can certainly use it, but I prefer stock here.
• Don’t drain away every bit of sausage fat. Leave about a tablespoon behind. We’ll use it to sauté the onion and carry that sausage flavor throughout the soup.
• Cook the tomato paste. Give the tomato paste a chance to cook with the seasonings before adding liquid. It should deepen in color slightly and lose that straight-from-the-tube raw tomato flavor.
• Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Drain them well and roughly chop them. They’re softer and more flavorful than dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes and melt beautifully into this soup.
• Use a wine you’d actually drink. You don’t need an expensive bottle, but avoid cooking wine. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay are all great choices.
• Wait before adding salt. Between the sausage, chicken stock and Parmesan, there are several salty ingredients in this soup. Taste at the end before deciding whether it needs additional salt.
• Don’t overcook the gnocchi. This is probably my biggest tip. Gnocchi only need a few minutes to become tender. Cooking them for too long can make their texture overly soft or gummy.

Ingredients You’ll Need & Why

This sausage gnocchi soup gets its rich, layered flavor by building savory ingredients before adding the stock and cream. The sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, and white wine are especially important because they add depth and tanginess that balance the creamy broth.

Italian Sausage + Gnocchi: Italian sausage makes the soup hearty and brings plenty of savory, seasoned flavor, while pillowy potato gnocchi make every spoonful extra satisfying. I especially like DeLallo gnocchi because they are easy to find and stay tender without becoming mushy.

Onion + Garlic: These create the aromatic base of the soup. The onion cooks right in the reserved sausage drippings before the garlic is added, carrying that savory sausage flavor throughout the broth.

Tomato Paste + Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These are the savory backbone of this recipe and a big part of what makes this soup different. Tomato paste adds concentrated depth, while oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes bring tanginess and umami without making the soup overly tomato-forward.

Italian Seasoning + Red Pepper Flakes: Italian seasoning complements the sausage and tomatoes, while red pepper flakes add a subtle background heat. You can easily adjust the pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like it.

Flour + Dry White Wine: Flour gives the broth just enough body to feel rich and velvety, while dry white wine adds acidity and helps lift all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay are all great choices.

Chicken Stock + Heavy Cream: This combination creates a broth that’s deeply savory while still being luxuriously creamy. I prefer chicken stock over broth here because it has more body and concentrated flavor.

Baby Spinach + Parmesan: Both are added toward the end so they retain their best texture and flavor. Spinach brings freshness and color, while freshly grated Parmesan melts into the broth for a salty, nutty finish and even more creaminess.

How to Make Sausage Gnocchi Soup

This soup is all about building flavor in the same pot. Rather than relying solely on the clock, watch for these visual cues along the way so you know when each layer is ready for the next.

Brown the Sausage

Cook the Italian sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat, breaking it into bite-sized crumbles as it cooks. It’s ready when no pink remains and you have plenty of browned, caramelized edges. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and leave about a tablespoon of drippings behind.

Build the Flavor Base

Cook the diced onion in the sausage drippings until it’s soft, translucent and beginning to turn golden around the edges. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes, followed by the tomato paste and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. After another minute or two, the tomato paste should look slightly darker and everything in the pot should smell intensely savory and fragrant.

Thicken & Deglaze

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and stir until no dry streaks of flour remain. After cooking it for about a minute, slowly whisk in the white wine, scraping up all those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it cook for a few minutes, until the sharp aroma of alcohol has mellowed and the mixture looks slightly reduced and cohesive.

Make the Creamy Broth

Slowly pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, stirring until smooth, then return the sausage and any accumulated juices to the pot. The broth should look creamy with little flecks of sun-dried tomato, sausage and seasonings throughout.

Cook the Gnocchi

Bring the soup to a boil before adding the gnocchi. Cook for about 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom. The gnocchi are ready when they’re plump, pillowy and tender all the way through. Don’t continue boiling them unnecessarily once they’ve reached that point.

Finish with Spinach & Parmesan

Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the baby spinach. Stir until the leaves are just wilted and bright green, then add the freshly grated Parmesan and stir until it disappears into the creamy broth.

Taste and adjust the salt only if needed. Ladle into bowls, shower with a little extra Parmesan, and serve with crusty toasted bread or buttery breadsticks for dipping.

More Recipes to Try

If you’re ready to fully embrace cozy soup season, my Zuppa Toscana Soup is another creamy Italian favorite loaded with sausage and comforting flavors. For the ultimate stick-to-your-ribs dinner, my Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Bay Biscuits tops a creamy chicken and vegetable filling with buttery, cheesy biscuits. And when you’re craving those quintessential fall flavors, my Panera Autumn Squash Soup is a cozy homemade version of the seasonal favorite with a creamy, slightly sweet and savory finish.

Variations & Substitutions

Make it spicy: Use hot Italian sausage and increase the red pepper flakes for a soup with more heat.

Swap the wine: If you’d rather not cook with wine, replace it with additional chicken stock. A small squeeze of fresh lemon at the end can help replace some of the brightness you’d otherwise get from the wine.

Add kale: Swap the baby spinach for chopped kale. Add it a little earlier since it takes longer to soften.

Add mushrooms: Brown sliced mushrooms after cooking the sausage and before adding the onion for another layer of savory flavor.

Use half-and-half: You can replace the heavy cream with half-and-half for a lighter broth, although the finished soup won’t be quite as rich and creamy.

What to Serve with Sausage Gnocchi Soup

This is one of those soups that really doesn’t need much alongside it. It’s already packed with sausage, gnocchi, and spinach, so I usually keep the sides simple.

My favorite is thick slices of crusty bread, toasted until golden, so you have something sturdy enough to drag through that creamy broth. Buttery breadsticks are another natural pairing. A simple Caesar or Italian salad on the side adds a fresh, crisp contrast to the rich soup.

Make Ahead & Storage

You can prepare the soup base ahead of time, but for the best texture, wait to cook the gnocchi until you’re close to serving. Gnocchi will continue absorbing liquid as it sits in the soup and can eventually become overly soft.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The soup will become considerably thicker as it sits because the gnocchi continue absorbing broth. When reheating, add a splash of chicken stock or cream as needed to loosen it back to your preferred consistency.

Reheat gently over medium-low heat rather than bringing the soup to a hard boil, which can overcook the gnocchi and cause cream-based soups to separate.