Yesterday’s Stew Is Today’s Soup

When you make yesterday’s pot of Tuscan White Beans with Sage and Sausage, I just know that you are going to be thinking about those leftovers.  If your family is anything like mine, eating leftovers as leftovers goes over really poorly.  Leftovers must be reinvented- while they can resemble the original product somewhat, it really needs to be as different of a dish as possible.  While stew and soup are similar, I got away with this one, simply because it was so delicious.

Even better?  This took no time at all, most of the work was done when I made the stew in the first place.  This was a matter of reheating and adding a few things. According to my cookbook, the stew can also be frozen, so if you were feeling ambitious, I could totally see doubling the stew and freezing half of it right away in two containers.  One container would be to eat as is, the other would be for making this soup another time.

To make this soup, you need leftover stew from yesterday, plus three additional ingredients.

Place the cold, leftover stew in a pot and add the chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer and check the texture of the broth.  If you’d like it a little thicker, let it cook for an extra 15-20 minutes, or until some of the liquid has reduced.  If you’d like it a little thinner, go ahead and add some more broth. (For a vegetarian version, obviously use veggie broth.)  About 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve, stir in the greens and cook until wilted.

Ladle into bowls and top with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese.  Add some nice crusty bread and you have a delicious meal-in-a-bowl that took no work at all.

Speaking of that nice crusty bread… oh, wait.  That’s tomorrow’s post. 😉