Bacon Cheddar Gnocchi Soup

Bacon Cheddar Gnocchi Soup is the ultimate cozy comfort dish, loaded with smoky bacon, soft pillowy gnocchi, and a creamy cheddar broth. It smells so amazing you’ll think you’re hosting guests, even on a weeknight. Easy to make in one pot and guaranteed to disappear faster than you can serve it.

Love More Apple Desserts Recipes? Try My Creamy Chicken Potato Soup or this Ginger Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This soup is ultra-creamy, comforting, and melts in your mouth with every bite. Soft gnocchi pair perfectly with smoky, crispy bacon for the ultimate texture combo. Packed with cheddar, cream, veggies, and spices, it’s a rich, flavor-loaded bowl that always impresses.

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Ingredient List

Vegetables & Aromatics:

• 1 large onion, chopped (sweet or red)
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Liquids & Seasonings:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream (or half-and-half for a lighter version)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but trust me on this!)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Proteins & Dairy:

• 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 2 cups medium cheddar cheese, grated (add in increments to prevent clumping)

Pasta:

• 1 pound potato gnocchi (fresh or frozen)

Optional Garnishes:

• Sliced green onions
• Extra crispy bacon bits
• Additional grated cheddar cheese

Can’t find something? Red onion works instead of sweet, turkey bacon’s fine if that’s your thing, and sharp cheddar makes it even better. No heavy cream? Half-and-half won’t hurt anybody.

Why These Ingredients Work

The thick bacon isn’t just there to look pretty – those drippings become your flavor base. I learned this from my grandmother who never threw away bacon grease. Sharp cheddar melts smooth and gives you that tang. Potato gnocchi are like little sponges that grab onto every bit of flavor. Heavy cream makes everything silky. Thyme cuts through all that richness so it doesn’t get heavy.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot with a heavy bottom (trust me on this)
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board that won’t slide around
• Good wooden spoon
• Slotted spoon for the bacon
• Box grater (pre-shredded cheese is trash for melting)
• Ladle that actually holds soup

How To Make Bacon Cheddar Gnocchi Soup

Cook the Bacon

Start with your large pot over medium heat and toss in that chopped bacon. Let it sizzle away for about 6-8 minutes until it’s perfectly crispy. The smell alone will have people wandering into the kitchen asking what’s for dinner. Pull out the bacon with a slotted spoon but leave those beautiful drippings – we need that flavor!

Sauté the Vegetables

Drop your onion and carrots right into those bacon drippings. Cook them down for 5-7 minutes until the onions go clear and the carrots get tender. Toss in the garlic for just one minute – any longer and it gets bitter on you.

Add Liquids & Seasonings

Pour in that chicken broth and bring everything to a nice gentle simmer. Stir in your heavy cream, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let it all bubble together for 5-10 minutes so those flavors can really get to know each other.

Incorporate the Cheese

This part’s crucial – add your cheese slowly, maybe half a cup at a time, stirring like your life depends on it. Rush this step and you’ll end up with a lumpy mess. Take your time and watch it melt into pure velvet.

Cook the Gnocchi

Drop those little gnocchi pillows right in and cook them according to the package – usually just 2-3 minutes. They’ll float to the top when they’re done, like little signals saying “we’re ready!”

Finish the Soup

Stir that crispy bacon back in and taste your masterpiece. Don’t be scared to add more salt and pepper – this soup can handle it.

Serve

Ladle it up and pile on those garnishes. More bacon, more cheese, green onions.

You Must Know

Don’t add cheese to boiling soup or it’ll seize up on you. I learned this the hard way when I had to throw out an entire batch. Keep the heat low and add cheese bit by bit.

Personal Secret: I always grate my own cheese. Those bags of pre-shredded stuff have coating on them that makes everything gummy. Takes two minutes longer but makes all the difference.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Save some bacon for the top – people eat with their eyes first
• Soup too thick? Add more broth. Too thin? Let it simmer uncovered
• Drop of butter at the end makes everything taste richer
• Don’t cook gnocchi to mush – nobody wants soup dumplings

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

• Want heat? Double those pepper flakes or throw in some chopped jalapeño
• Fresh thyme beats dried every time if you’ve got it
• Smoked cheddar instead of regular is incredible
• Toss in frozen peas or corn at the very end

Make-Ahead Options

Here’s what I do: make everything except the gnocchi up to two days ahead. Store it covered in the fridge. When you want to eat, heat it back up gently and add fresh gnocchi. This way they don’t turn to mush sitting around.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Reheat this slowly or the cream will break on you
• It gets thick when cold, so thin it out when you reheat
• Fresh gnocchi cooks faster than frozen, so watch it
• If it curdles, whisk in some cold cream off the heat

Serving Suggestions

This is dinner by itself, but I like it with:

• Crusty bread for dunking
• Simple salad to cut all that richness
• Garlic bread if you’re not watching carbs
• Glass of white wine doesn’t hurt either

I really hope you try this one. It’s become such a comfort food staple here that I make a double batch every time. My freezer’s always got bacon ready to go just for this soup.

How to Store Your Bacon Cheddar Gnocchi Soup

Fridge: Keeps for 3 days in a container with a tight lid. It’ll get really thick when cold.

Freezer: Don’t do it. The cream gets weird and the gnocchi turn mushy. Just make it fresh.

Reheating: Low heat, stir it often. Add some broth if it’s too thick. Never nuke it on high or it’ll curdle.

Allergy Information

Has: Dairy, gluten, pork

No dairy? Try coconut cream and fake cheese, though it won’t be the same No gluten? Get the rice gnocchi from the health food section
No meat? Skip bacon, use veggie broth, add smoked paprika for flavor

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use store-bought gnocchi?

That’s what I always use. Fresh or frozen both work fine.

My cheese got lumpy – what happened?

Heat was too high when you added it. Always turn heat down first, then add cheese slowly.

Can I make this in a crockpot?

Cook the bacon first in a pan, then put everything except gnocchi and cheese in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on low. Add cheese and gnocchi the last 30 minutes.

How do I make it healthier?

Turkey bacon, half-and-half instead of cream, add more vegetables.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me how it turned out! I love seeing your pictures and hearing about your tweaks!