Gnocchi, Sausage and Spinach Soup

THIS SOUP is one of my favorites. So when I saw this recipe, that was similar but had the wonderful additions of gnocchi and cream, I knew I had to try it asap.  I was able to pull it together quickly, and it made for a tasty weeknight dinner.  I have never had gnocchi in a soup, and really enjoyed how light it was!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 6pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 t olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 T garlic, minced
6 oz turkey sausage, I like Trader Joes which is precooked!
1 t dried basil
4 cups chicken stock
1 package of store bought gnocchi
6 handfuls of baby spinach, stems removed
12 T fat free half and half
Salt + pepper to taste
Fresh basil to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil in a skillet and add your onion, pepper and garlic.  Saute until onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes.  I used precooked turkey sausage in this recipe, so at this point I added that sausage and sauteed until it was warmed, about 3 minutes.  If you are using raw, saute until cooked through. Sprinkle dried basil on your sausage and veggie concoction, and then add stock.  Bring to a boil and add gnocchi.  Cook according to package directions, about 3-4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve
For each individual portion, put a handful of spinach into the bottom of a soup bowl. Top with 1 cup of soup and then add 2 T half and half.  Sprinkle on fresh basil and enjoy!

Tip
First, as you may know, I don't like adding spinach to soup while it is cooking because, really, I don't like how it reheats for leftovers. When adding it as I explain above it keeps the spinach more fresh!

Recipe adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice