Today I’ve got a new favorite comfort food recipe I hope you love!
I ate some really weird stuff when I was in college and just learning how to cook. I remember one concoction in particular that was especially bizarre: gnocchi tossed with gorgonzola, broccoli, and…canned crab meat. Today, that combination of, flavors doesn’t seem particularly appealing or even logical, but my 22-year-old self who was desperate to learn but also on a budget, found this satisfying enough to want to make it once a week. What can I say? It was the dead of winter in Boston. I think I was just trying to stay warm. And come on—I was drinking a lot of crappy college-kid wine and learning what hangovers are.
I had an internship at a publishing house that did a lot of cookbooks, so I was being exposed to all this new information and ideas about food, but I totally lacked the skill or experience to put any of it to use. There was also the fact that my apartment, with its joke kitchen, was so tiny, I had to put my George Forman grill on the floor. That’s gotta be a fire hazard. I’ve actually been in buildings that were on fire three different times, but that’s a story for another day—none of those had anything to do with me or my cooking. Just weird luck.
Clearly, comfort food is a very individual thing.
Soup has always been one of my go-to’s. While I love summer, I always breathe a big sigh of relief when the fall weather sets in and I can cook my feelings via big pots of soup. Today’s recipe was inspired by this Chicken and Vegetable Gnocchi Soup that has become a client favorite and one of my own preferred remedies.
I get a lot of requests for low-carb recipes of traditional comfort foods, so I was super-excited to when Trader Joe’s introduced their Cauliflower Gnocchi, I couldn’t wait to try it. Whether you’re on a low-carb or grain-free diet or just looking for a fun new food to try, these totally live up to the hype. I also appreciate the simple ingredients list:
CAULIFLOWER, CASSAVA FLOUR, POTATO STARCH, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, SEA SALT.
If you’re planning to eat them tossed with sauce, I’d recommend sautéing them on the stovetop, but I wanted to come up with a recipe where you could just cook them in the microwave and the resulting slightly mushy texture would be okay. So of course this soup had to happen.
I added some leftover cooked chicken to this to give it some satisfying protein, but you can skip it or add your favorite plant protein like hemp hearts or beans. Enjoy!
Cauliflower Gnocchi Soup
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine (optional) - 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, unsalted
- 1 12-oz package Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi, prepared according to package directions
- 2.5 cups frozen broccoli rabe, prepared according to package directions
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 3-4 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large stock pot heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sautée until veggies are soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- If using the wine, add to the pot and bring to a boil. When it has reduced by half in volume, add the spices, tomatoes, gnocchi, broccoli, and chicken. Thin out with water as desired. Stir well to mix.
- Bring to a boil and then lower heat. Allow to simmer 20-30 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Variations:
It’s super-easy to make this vegan version—just use chickpeas or white beans in place of the chicken. You can also add extra flavor with veggie broth.
What’s your favorite soup?
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