Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

I had some home-made gnocchi in the freezer that needed to be used up. When I came across this soup recipe in a recent Taste of Home magazine, I thought it would be the perfect dish in which to use the gnocchi...besides the fact that it's still been on the cool side here in Wyoming.

Gnocchi Chicken Minestrone

1 1/4lbs chicken tenderloins, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbls olive oil, divided

1 each small green, sweet red and yellow peppers, finely chopped

1 medium zucchini, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup chopped proscuitto or deli ham

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14 1/2oz each) chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

3/4 cup canned white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 Tbls tomato paste

16 oz potato gnocchi

1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese

8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Sprinkle chicken with oregano, salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, saute chicken in 1 Tbls olive oil until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, cook the peppers, zucchini, and onion in remaining oil until tender. Add proscuitto and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, peas, tomato paste and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, stir into soup. Garnish with cheese and basil. Makes 8 servings.

**Now I just need to find Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup recipe!