Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Trail Version
Creamy potato-gnocchi soup rebuilt out of powders. One pot, one boil.
- calories
- 760
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable gnocchi | 5 oz | vacuum-sealed potato gnocchi, no refrigeration needed |
|---|---|---|
| Foil-packet chicken | 1 packet (2.6 oz) | |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | |
| Powdered heavy cream or coconut milk powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 2 tbsp | the thickener, standing in for the flour roux |
| Dried onion, celery, and carrot | 3 tbsp total | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/4 tsp | |
| Freeze-dried spinach | 1/4 cup | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Black pepper and salt | to taste |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Add the dried vegetables, bouillon, garlic, and thyme. Simmer five minutes so the vegetables soften.
- Drop in the gnocchi. Simmer three minutes until they float and go soft.
- Pull the pot off the flame. Wait thirty seconds, then whisk in the milk powder and cream powder. Boiling liquid makes powdered milk grainy.
- Stir in the potato flakes a pinch at a time until it thickens to soup, not paste.
- Add the chicken, the spinach, and the oil. Cover for two minutes, then salt and pepper it.
The original is a restaurant soup built on a butter-and-flour roux, fresh dairy, and cubed raw chicken. None of that travels. The roux becomes potato flakes, the milk and cream become powders, and the chicken comes precooked in foil. Vacuum-sealed gnocchi is the one heavy item worth carrying: it is shelf-stable, cooks in three minutes, and gives the bowl something to chew on.
Order matters more than technique here. Vegetables need real simmer time or they stay like gravel, and dairy powder clumps if it hits a rolling boil. Take the pot off the heat before the powders go in, and thicken last so you can stop when it looks right.
Packing
Everything dry except the gnocchi, chicken, and oil goes in one bag. Gnocchi packets are dense and rigid, so pack them flat against your back panel.
Variations
- A hard cheese rind grated in at the end pushes the fat higher.
- Swap the chicken for a second oil packet and use vegetable bouillon if you want it meatless; it is still not dairy-free.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/web-stories/top-secret-recipe-olive-garden-gnocchi-soup