In my last blog, I reminisced a bit about pasta e fagioli recipes my mom and grandfather prepared over the years and the baked version I planned to try.

This recipe from Good Housekeeping was a delicious variation, including spinach, as well as the traditional tomatoes, pasta and beans. However,  I added a bit too much pasta and we would have preferred more broth.

Before refrigerating the leftovers,  I stirred an additional cup of chicken broth into the casserole. We heated it up on a busy night two days later, and what a surprise. It was even better leftover. The flavors had blended and intensified, and this time we soaked up the garlicky tomato broth with crusty bread.  Delicious!

When you’re too busy to cook, leftovers can be a welcome resource — especially when they need only a bit of tweaking to make them even better the second time!