Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup

I just love the Rachel Ray cookbook Just in Time!  It features 30 and 60 minute meals and there are so many delicious ones to choose from.  One of my favorites is this soup and even though it has been very hot out lately, I decided to make it.

Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup

Source: Rachel Ray's Just in Time!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan

4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped - I used half of a large vidalia onion
1 1/2 cups store-bought shredded carrots
1 fresh bay leaf
Salt and pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1 pound ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped -  I always cheat and used the preminced garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese - I just use Mozzarella since I rarely have this type of cheese in the house
1 package gnocchi
1 cup frozen peas
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped


Heat a soup pot over medium to medium-high heat with EVOO. Add celery, onions, carrots and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Add stock to the pot, cover and bring to a boil.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, nutmeg, egg, bread crumbs and cheese.  Combine the chicken mixture with your hands then roll into walnut-sized meat balls and add to the soup. Wash up, then add the gnocchi to the pot and cook for 5 minutes.

Add peas and parsley, and cook 2 minutes more. Turn heat off under the stoup and allow it to cool for 5 minutes on the stovetop before serving with crusty bread.