The One Frozen Ingredient That Can Upgrade Almost Any Canned Soup

Pasta-lovers, rise up: This canned soup hack is all about gnocchi. When dinnertime strikes but the fridge is looking bare, you're too beat to make a grocery run, and you'd rather not shell out for delivery, home cooks are looking to their long-storage pantry staples and frozen goods. For a nourishing meal on a dime and in no time, add frozen gnocchi to your canned soup.

Those comforting, toothy potato dumplings are both filling and gentle on the stomach, making for a warming meal for foodies on a budget — "budget" as in money or time. Considering gnocchi takes only a few minutes to cook once the water is boiling, your hearty soup dish can be ready in less than 15 minutes, including the time it takes to open the can and heat up the soup. Trader Joe's carries a variety of different flavors of frozen gnocchi ($2.99 per 12-ounce bag), that when combined with pantry staple canned soup provides a last-minute dinner with two high-endurance, flavorful ingredients. Keep this delish dynamic delish duo on hand and ready to go for whenever you need 'em. If you prefer a less toothy mouthfeel, opt for mini gnocchi. At a Target in Brooklyn, NY, a 12-ounce bag of Delallo gluten-free mini gnocchi cost $5.49 (albeit, this one is fresh bagged pasta rather than frozen, so shorter shelf life), but these ingredients are widely available in most supermarkets.

To take your old reliable canned soups to the next level with a frozen gnocchi upgrade, boil the gnocchi in a pot of salted water following package directions, then drain and add it to your warmed soup. Gnocchi is a fairly starchy ingredient, which tends to fall off into the water as it boils. If you prefer your soups with a thicker, more viscous mouthfeel, you could bring your canned soup to a boil on the stove and cook the gnocchi directly in the soup. But, for best results, cook the pasta separately and add it to your heated soup afterward. Heating separately also allows greater control over how much gnocchi you want to add per bowlful. 

Amy's Kitchen is our favorite store-bought canned soup brand and some gnocchi heartiness would be delicious in Amy's organic lentil vegetable soup, carrot ginger soup, mushroom bisque, or split pea soup. You could also add gnocchi to any canned chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, or pureed butternut squash soup for an instant upgrade. Gnocchi would work especially well in canned chicken and wild rice soup, bonus points if you add a splash of heavy cream and garnish with fresh rosemary (it'll have your dinner guests gasping, "This came from a can? And from the freezer?"). To complete the meal, serve your gnocchi-loaded canned soup with buttered rolls or this ultra-moist ranch-swirled cornbread.