10/10/2026
WEIGHT WATCHERS CROCKPOT OLIVE GARDEN CHICKEN & "GNOCCHI" SOUP
Craving the thick, spoon-coating, cheese-swirled luxury of Olive Garden’s Famous Chicken & Gnocchi Soup without carb-heavy potato flour gnocchi crashes, flour-thickened butter roux pastes, pints of heavy whipping cream, and blown daily point budgets? 🙌 This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & "Gnocchi" Soup recreates all that iconic Tuscan restaurant warmth in an ultra-clean, high-protein, one-pot dinner! We ditch heavy cream entirely by blending fiber-rich Cannellini beans with plain non-fat Greek yogurt, roasted garlic, and savory bone broth into an ultra-silky, high-protein velvet bisque! Instead of dense commercial potato gnocchi, we make easy high-protein ricotta-almond gnocchi pillows (made from drained part-skim ricotta, almond flour, and Parmesan, which slow-cook directly in the broth into melt-in-your-mouth, tender dumplings that soak up every single drop of garlic cream!) paired with 0-point tender shredded chicken breast, matchstick sweet carrots, and fresh baby spinach! Finished with shaved Parmesan and cracked black pepper! Pure Olive Garden comfort made lean, high-protein, and completely guilt-free in ONE pot! 🕒✨
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 can (15 oz) Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained, for the protein cream base)
3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach (packed)
2 Medium Carrots (peeled and cut into thin matchsticks/julienne)
1 Large Leek (white and pale green parts only, washed thoroughly and sliced thin)
2 stalks Celery (thinly sliced)
6 cloves Garlic (minced)
5 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Bone Broth (divided)
3/4 cup Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (room temperature)
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg (essential for that authentic Olive Garden flavor)
1 tsp Dried Thyme & Garlic Powder
2 Bay Leaves
1/3 cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (for serving)
1/4 cup Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley (finely chopped, for garnish)
Olive oil cooking spray
Coarse sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the High-Protein Ricotta "Gnocchi" Pillows:
1 cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese (drained on paper towels for 15 minutes)
1 Large Egg White
1/3 cup Superfine Blanched Almond Flour
3 tbsp Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp Sea Salt, Garlic Powder & Black Pepper
Instructions:
Lightly spray the black ceramic insert of a 6-quart oval slow cooker with olive oil spray.
Place the sliced leek, matchstick carrots, sliced celery, and minced garlic across the bottom.
Place the whole chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. Season with dried thyme, ground nutmeg, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Pour in 4 cups of the chicken bone broth and tuck in the bay leaves.
Cover with the glass lid and cook on LOW for 4.5 to 5 hours (or on HIGH for 2.5 hours) until the chicken breasts are completely fork-tender.
In a high-speed blender, combine the drained Cannellini beans, remaining 1 cup of chicken bone broth, and room-temperature plain non-fat Greek yogurt. Blend on high for 45–60 seconds until completely silky smooth, thick, and velvety. Set aside.
Make the ricotta gnocchi: In a medium bowl, stir together the drained ricotta cheese, egg white, almond flour, grated Parmesan, salt, and garlic powder until a thick dough forms. Roll into small 3/4-inch oblong pillow shapes and lightly press the back of a fork across each piece to create classic gnocchi ridges (makes about 16–18 bite-sized pillows).
Remove the slow cooker lid. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and use two dinner forks to shred the meat into juicy bite-sized strands. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and discard the bay leaves.
Pour the blended white bean cream into the slow cooker and stir well until the broth turns rich and velvety.
Gently drop the ricotta gnocchi pillows across the surface of the simmering soup. Secure the lid tightly and cook on HIGH for 25–30 minutes undisturbed until the gnocchi puff up, turn tender, and are cooked through.
Gently fold in the fresh baby spinach leaves and cook uncovered for 2 minutes just until the spinach wilts into tender emerald ribbons.
Taste and adjust seasoning with additional sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.
Garnish each bowl generously with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, and coarse cracked black pepper.
Use a deep stainless steel soup ladle to scoop a steaming, velvety portion into a deep white ceramic soup bowl, and enjoy piping hot with a silver dinner spoon! 🥗✨
✨ Want the full Weight Watchers points calculation & cozy low-carb slow cooker copycat soup meal prep guides? Comment "GNOCCHI" below, or check out the full recipe in the comments! ⬇️
