Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

The past few days have been so cold.  I can't even handle going outside.  Wouldn't an automatic remote start be nice to have in your car?  Heat it up a few minutes before you have to leave.  Then, you can sprint from your house to the car and only have to be cold for a few seconds and the icy windows would be melted enough that you can just turn on your windshield wipers and not have to scrape them.  

For cold days like this, all I want is some warm and cozy soup.  

  

I have only had this soup at Olive Garden once and I LOVED it.  After I tried it, I immediately came home and searched for a copycat recipe with no such luck.  At the time, it was a new menu item, so I figured no one had a chance to duplicate it yet.  

I never forgot about it.

Then, I found this copycat recipe the other day.    

It turned out better than I remembered it being, which is telling you something, because I remember it being way good, but this copycat version is WAY WAY Good!  There might be just a few differences (like lots of cream cheese), but I believe it is for the better!    

It is totally restaurant quality and the cream cheese really takes it up to another level.  I adjusted the measurements and ingredients from the original recipe with what I knew I would like and I loved every single thing about it and I would make it the exact same way next time. 

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Potato Florentine Soup

(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth

3 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided

1 Tbl. + 2 tsp. dried minced onion, divided

2 tsp. paprika, divided

1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with juice

4 med. carrots, finely diced

6 red potatoes, unpeeled, diced

2 c. water
1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained

3-4 c. fresh spinach, chopped

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 1/2 - 2 c. Mozzarella cheese, grated

Add chicken breasts, chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and water to a large saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) and the veggies are tender.  Remove chicken breasts, shred and add back to the pot.  Add the beans and heat on low for 30 minutes.  Add the fresh chopped spinach and cook for 5 more minutes.  If soup is too thick for your liking, add a little extra water (I prefer mine super thick and chunky).  Taste and add the remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons dried minced onion and 1 teaspoon paprika, if needed.  Stir in the cream cheese until completely combined.  Last, add the grated Mozzarella and stir until combined.  Serve with crusty bread.  Serves: 6-8

Jenn's Notes: I typed the ingredients above with the measurements that I used.  I actually started my soup out in the slow cooker.  I added everything except the spinach, cream cheese and Mozzarella to the slow cooker and I cooked on low for four hours.  My chicken was done, but the vegetables were still crunchy.  So, I poured the mixture (except the chicken) into a large saucepan and boiled for about 10 minutes until they were soft.  Then, I stirred in the shredded chicken and spinach and cooked for a few minutes.  Then, I stirred in the cream cheese and Mozzarella cheese.  The flavor of this soup was out-of-this-world.  I can't wait to make it again.  

very slightly adapted from: Food.com