Bulk Up Canned Soup With A Single Frozen Ingredient

Canned soup is a must for your well-stocked pantry. Most varieties are inexpensive, come in a wide range of flavors, and are incredibly convenient. Still, even your favorite kind can start to seem boring after a while. That's where knowing how to hack traditional canned soups for extra flavor comes in handy. One of the best and easiest tricks is to bulk up soup with frozen gnocchi.

While gnocchi is often lumped in with pasta, it's technically more of a dumpling. Unlike regular dumplings or pasta, the main ingredient in gnocchi is usually potatoes. They're soft, spongy, and slightly chewy, making them the perfect addition for adding some oomph to a bowl of soup. Gnocchi dishes are typically served with Italian-style tomato marinara, creamy cheese and vegetables, or a classic browned butter and sage sauce. They're fantastic in soup too and are an excellent pairing in the same vein as chicken and dumplings — but even easier to make when you use frozen gnocchi and a can of ready-to-heat soup.

Gnocchi requires very little preparation; all you need to do is drop some frozen gnocchi into a pot of boiling water. Once they float to the top (which only takes just a few minutes) they're ready to eat. Strain the gnocchi and plop them right into your warmed canned soup. It's an instant upgrade that adds irresistible texture and substance, and a great way to take pre-made soup from dull to delicious with very little effort.

Although the starchy kinds are the absolute best potatoes to use for gnocchi, the dumplings can also be made from sweet potatoes, as well as other vegetables like butternut squash, underrated carrots, and even cauliflower. Many grocery stores will carry at least one frozen variety, or if not, you can also find them self-stable in the pasta aisle.

Even flavored variations of gnocchi often have a neutral taste that complements just about any type of soup. They're particularly good in creamy sorts like Vineyard clam chowder, split pea, lobster bisque, cheese and broccoli, and canned cream of mushroom soup. Gnocchi instantly elevates tomato-based soups like tomato and basil or minestrone — and adds a hearty bite to vegetable purees. Chunky soups are fair game too, like Italian wedding, chicken noodle, beef and barley, lentil, or bean.

The simplicity of canned soup and frozen gnocchi is what makes this hack so user-friendly. However, should you have the wherewithal to make your own homemade soup and hand-rolled gnocchi, the combo is equally satisfying. You can add raw or frozen gnocchi to your soup recipe during the last few minutes to finish cooking. Be aware, however, that the dumplings will absorb liquid and release starch — both of which will thicken your soup. This can be adjusted by adding more water, broth, milk, or cream to the mix, or, as with canned soup, just cook the gnocchi separately and add it to the finished dish.