LOL - Left Overs Laugh

Many of my most scrumptious recipes are a result of concocting something new from left overs. This is when you use the rule of thumb: When it works, write it down.  The fun and challenge is to create a totally new look and taste to the dish that was served for dinner the night before. This is what recently happened the other day with left over spaghetti sauce. First of all, the best spaghetti sauce to use is home made, but a good quality store bought sauce will do in a pinch. The missing key ingredient in store bought is that it lacks seasoned ground beef/sausage and red wine that adds so much depth and flavor to the sauce.

With that said, here is how spaghetti sauce turned into a wonderful winter warming Minestrone soup.
To left over spaghetti sauce add equal amount of water (more if you like your soup thinner.) My batch was about 5 or 6 cups worth.  If your batch is on the small size, only add in 1/2 can of the garbanzo beans, but don't go shy with the stewed tomatoes...you can never go wrong with more tomatoes.

1 teaspoon beef bouillon
1 package Lipton Onion/Garlic or straight Onion Soup Mix

Chopped: onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, cut up green beans, and zucchini if you got it.
1 can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (or white beans of some kind if you don't have G-beans)
pepper to taste
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes (smushed up in between your fingers)
Boiled up noodles/pasta of your choice

Boil vegetables till tender. Add to the rest of the ingredients and simmer on stove or in crock pot.
Start off almost to a boil and turn down to simmer for more time. Add in noodles shortly before you serve. If you put these in too soon they tend to disintegrate, but must be allowed to swim in soup long enough to absorb some of that wonderful seasoning and flavor.
Serve this soup on a cold winter day or evening with warm artisan bread slathered with lots of butter.

                                                            Ta da, left overs laughing.