Creamy Chik’n Gnocchi Soup

It’s like chicken noodle soup.. but better.

Ingredients- (serves 6)

1 3/4 cups yellow onion, diced (about one medium yellow onion)

1 1/2 cups carrots, small dice

1 1/2 cup celery, small dice

tbsp oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups water

4 tsp (4 cubes) vegan chik’n bouillon cubes, or better than bouillon veggie stock blend

1/2 tsp crushed bay leaves (yes, they are edible)

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup kale

1 1/4 cup follow your heart vegan parmesan shreds

1 16 oz package of mini gnocchi (most store bought are vegan!)

For the chik’ns-

6-8 vegan chik’n tenders, 3-4 inches long (I like lightlife savory tenders or gardein chikn strips)

tbsp oil

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt

For the Cashew cream-

1/2 cup cashews

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/ 4 tsp salt

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

For the roux-

2 tbsp vegan butter (I like Miyoko’s)

2 tbsp flour

How to-

1. Soak cashews, dice onion, small dice celery and carrot, and mince garlic. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot.
2. Add onion and stir 3 minutes, then add carrot and celery and stir another 5 minutes, until tender. Add garlic another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add water, bouillon, bay leaves, parsley, oregano and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes.
4. While liquid simmers, you will need to make cashew cream, chik’n tenders and the roux.
5. For chik’n: heat oil over medium heat, add tenders to oil, flip and season each side with basil, garlic, onion and salt and cook on each side about 3 minutes until lightly crispy. Let cool a few minutes while you make the cashew cream, then shred into bite sized pieces. Add into soup after 20 mins of simmering.
6. For cashew cream: drain soaked cashews. Blend cashews with water, basil, garlic powder, salt and nooch until completely creamy. Stir into soup after adding in chickens.
7. For roux: if my instructions seem confusing, you can find youtube videos on how to make a roux showing color difference and what they are best for. A roux is a mixture of butter and flour that can make liquids thicker. The color of the roux is important, because it will change the taste and color of the soup a bit, but it really is easy. First, melt vegan butter then whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 3-5 mins for a light colored roux. Stir into soup after cashew cream until it thickens.
8. After adding chikn, cashew cream, and roux to soup, stir in chopped kale and vegan parm. Add mini gnocchi 4 mins before serving. If you are making the soup ahead of time, reheat the soup mix over the stove until heated throughout, bring to a low simmer and add the gnocchi 5-10 mins and serve. If you save the left over gnocchi soup, keep in mind the gnocchi may get a bit soggy. Serve with vegan sour cream, parmesan and fresh parsley and enjoy!