The Best Gnocchi and Squirrel Soup with Breadsticks

This Gnocchi and Squirrel Soup Recipe with Breadsticks is a copycat Olive Garden recipe and the best way I've found for cooking squirrel meat.

Olive Garden Gnocchi Squirrel Soup Recipe

A quick search of Pinterest reveals thousands of Olive Garden copycat recipes - from their Italian salad dressing to their toasted ravioli. The Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup is one of the most popular. In fact, I've got a pheasant and gnocchi soup you should also check out.

My wife was not too keen on eating squirrel for the first time, after our daughter went out with me and we brought back a few for supper.

I knew I had to knock it out of the park with an amazing squirrel recipe. My goal was to impress her with the incredible flavors of a great soup so she could look past the fact that she was eating squirrel. She was able to enjoy it because this squirrel soup recipe reminded her of the rich and creamy Olive Garden soup with the soft pillowy gnocchi potato dumplings.

If you have friends and family who are a bit wary of eating squirrel for the first time, try this squirrel soup for their introduction to a squirrel recipe. It’s hearty, creamy, and downright delicious - a perfect dish for a chilly day after a successful squirrel hunt.

How To Skin A Squirrel

If you’ve never done it, learning how to skin a squirrel is a bit harder than you might think. Squirrels have a thicker hide than rabbits. I learned how to skin a squirrel on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Here's how to do it, whether you’re out hunting or at home:

• Remove any remaining skin around the legs and stomach area with your knife.
• Gather your tools: water, a cutting board, a small sharp knife, game shears, a trash bag, and a large plate or rimmed baking sheet.
• Start by snipping off the squirrel's head, feet, and tail with game shears.
• Pinch up the loose skin at the squirrel’s back and make a 3-inch incision perpendicular to the backbone.
• Insert your fingers under the skin through the incision and pull hard to peel the skin away.

How To Gut A Squirrel

Gutting a squirrel is similar to cleaning a fish or a deer. Be careful not to puncture any internal organs:

• Use a knife with the blade facing up to make a clean cut along the belly.
• Pull out the guts carefully, reaching up to remove the heart and lungs. Save the heart for other recipes if you’d like.
• Wash the squirrel thoroughly under cold water before butchering.

How To Butcher A Squirrel

To butcher a squirrel:

• Remove the legs by slicing along the ribcage and cutting toward the neck for the front legs. For the hind legs, slice at the joint and pop it out.
• Use the torso and belly as they are and throw them into your soup pot for maximum flavor.

Squirrel Soup With Breadsticks

This squirrel soup recipe takes everything you love about a comforting soup and elevates it with the addition of tender, flavorful squirrel meat. Pair it with warm breadsticks, and you’ve got a meal that’s sure to impress even the pickiest eater in your family.

Squirrel Soup Ingredients

• 2-3 squirrels, skinned, cleaned, and cut into pieces
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 16-ounce store-bought potato gnocchi
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup half and half
• 2 cups fresh kale or spinach, finely chopped
• 1 packet Sazon Goya seasoning
• 6 frozen breadsticks
• ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan
• Instructions:

How To Make Squirrel Soup with Breadsticks

1. In a Dutch oven, simmer the squirrel pieces in chicken broth until tender, about 2 hours. Alternatively, use a Crock-Pot to cook the meat all day. Once cooked, pull the meat off the bones and shred. Set aside and reserve the broth.

2. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

3. Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water according to the package directions (usually about 2 minutes). Drain and set aside.

4. Place the breadsticks on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

5. In a large skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook for an additional minute.

6. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

7. Gradually whisk in the reserved chicken broth. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

8. Stir in the cooked gnocchi, shredded squirrel meat, chopped kale, half and half, and the Sazon seasoning packet. Let everything heat through.

9. Serve the soup hot with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and warm breadsticks on the side.

Why Your Kids Will Love It

Convincing your kids to join you on a cold winter day for a squirrel hunt is easier when they know the reward involves a comforting bowl of this squirrel soup. The gnocchi is soft and fun to eat, the creamy broth is delicious, and the breadsticks make for the perfect dunking companion. Plus, they’ll feel a sense of pride knowing they helped bring home dinner.

Need More Soup Recipes?

If you are looking for more soup recipes to feed the family, check out all of our family favorites that have all been tested and approved by my wife and daughter.

Join Our Wild Game Cooking Community

Sign up here to receive a new recipe in your email inbox every Tuesday morning!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Did you make and enjoy this Gnocchi and Squirrel Soup with Breadsticks Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!

Lastly, if you try this Gnocchi and Squirrel Soup Recipe, be sure to post a photo of your dish, then tag me on Instagram @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.