I had some leftover spaghetti sauce, and wondered what I could do with it. It wasn't enough for a meal. I also had just one aging zucchini. So I decided to do a minestrone soup, and it was a great success.

Ruth

Minestrone Soup

1 c dried beans, soaked overnight (red beans, red kidney beans, cannelini beans, your choice. I often do a mix of beans in my soups.)
12 oz of commercial spaghetti sauce
1 or 2 12-oz cans of low-sodium V-8 juice
1 T chopped garlic in oil
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 c small pasta, uncooked (orzo is traditional, but I use what I have on hand.)
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
1 med zucchini, chopped
4 c vegetable broth
1 T dried Italian spice mix

1. Drain and rinse beans. Place in soup pot with the vegetable broth and chopped onion. Cook until beans are soft-firm.
2. Add all other ingredients except the pasta and V-8 juice. Cook until the vegetables are done. Add V-8 juice if soup gets too thick.
3. Add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is done.