Slow Cooker Sausage Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground hot Italian sausagebrowned, or any other sausage - chicken, pork, beef or turkey
• 1 onionpeeled and diced
• 2 carrotspeeled and diced
• 2 celery sticksdiced
• 5 clove sgarlicor 1 1/2 tablespoon sminced garlic
• 4 cup schicken brothgood-quality
• 2 teaspoon sItalian seasoning
• 2 teaspoon svegetable stock powderlike Vegeta, or chicken/beef bouillon powder - chicken adds better flavour
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon saltadjust to your tastes
• 1/3 teaspoon cracked black pepper, (adjust to your tastes)
• 600 ml evaporated milkor half and half, or reduced fat cream - full fat may also be used if not watching calorie intake
• 3 heaping tablespoon scornstarchmixed and dissolved well in 2 cup sof milk, I use 2% milk
• 1 pound fresh gnocchifound in the fridge section of your supermarket
• 4 cup sshredded kale leaves, stems removed (or baby spinach leaves),
• 1 pinch saltto taste
• 1 pinch pepperto taste

Instructions

1. Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, broth, Italian seasoning, Vegeta (or bouillon), onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper in a crockpot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 5 hours or low for 6 8 hours.
2. Add the evaporated milk (or half and half or cream), milk/cornstarch mixture and gnocchi. Stir and replace cover. Cook another 30 minutes until the soup has thickened and the gnocchi has softened.
3. Add in the chopped kale (or spinach), cover for an extra 5 minutes or until just beginning to wilt.
4. Taste test and season with extra salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately with optional parmesan cheese and bacon. (If soup thickens too much when cold, just add extra milk in half cup increments until achieving desired consistency while warming it up to serve.)