Saving Ziti

Have you ever made something for dinner that just didn’t turn out quite right. Well, last night was one of those nights. I attempted to wing it making a baked pasta dish sort of like baked ziti, but without the ricotta. I was attempting to “cheat” too because I used jarred sauce. I just needed dinner quick. So made the dish and it came out rather dry and boring. Knowing that I would be the only one eating the leftovers, I put the remaining part in the fridge for another day. I hated to throw out such a huge portion. So today, lunchtime rolled around and I thought, what could I have that’s easy. Hmmm … there is that leftover, but what to do with it? I scooped some out and looked in the pantry for something to give it moisture and zip … what about balsamic vinegar? Then I thought, how about a little more flavor? So I added garlic, basil, ground red pepper and a little olive oil and nuked it. You know what, it was actually pretty good. Kind of a tangy arrabbiata, although not in the traditional sense. I still have some left, so I think I’ll try another experiment tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a new favorite while saving ziti.