Italian

• Create a hearty Bolognese by adding drained vegetable soup to canned tomato soup and beef broth, along with ground beef or turkey and your favorite Italian spices. Ladle the sauce over cooked pasta and stuff leftover sauce into hollowed peppers for a Round Two appearance the following night. Fool picky eaters with a healthy pizza sauce by pureeing the vegetable soup, then combining it with the tomato soup and herbs like oregano, basil, thyme and granulated garlic. A hearty minestrone on a cold night is quick and easy when tomato and vegetable soups are combined along with Italian spices, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and crusty bread.

Mexican

• For a meatless Monday meal, bake tomato and vegetable soup with rice and spices such as cumin and chili powder. Tortillas stuffed with a mixture of drained vegetable soup and ground beef or shredded chicken can be topped with tomato soup that is mixed with traditional Mexican spices, such as cumin, granulated garlic or Mexican oregano. Leftover filling is ideal for tacos or as a topper for a steaming baked potato. Albondigas soup is a traditional Mexican meatball soup that can be made by combining tomato and vegetable soups with meatballs, spices and chilies.

Asian

• A little imagination can add an Asian flair to mealtime. Chop suey is a quick weeknight dinner when drained vegetable soup is mixed with tomato soup thinned with soy sauce, water and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Fluffy rice rounds out the meal. For a modified egg drop soup, add a beaten egg to a combination of tomato soup, chicken broth and pureed vegetable soup once it comes to a boil. Top with sliced scallions and a splash of vinegar for a punch of flavor. For a layered flavor profile, consider mixing tomato soup with drained vegetable soup, diced pineapple and a light vinegar or lemon juice. Combined with Asian spices, such as ground ginger or five spice powder, and mixed with either diced chicken or small shrimp, you have a variation on the traditional sweet and sour dish. Tomato soup thinned with a few splashes of white wine vinegar and chicken broth can be added to drained vegetables, traditional Thai spices and mixed with thin spaghetti or rice noodles for a twisted pad thai. Consider adding a topping of chopped peanuts and scallions.

Good Old U.S.A.

• For a take on the classic American comfort food, make a chicken pot pie with a gravy of tomato and vegetable soup in which the chicken has been simmered, and top it with a flaky crust. Southwestern chili is a snap when ground beef or turkey is stewed in a combination of the soups. Plentiful additions of chili powder and other spices can be added to provide that signature kick. A bed of rice that’s topped with tomato soup mixed with drained vegetable soup, sausage and hot sauce is an easy version of jambalaya. Pureed tomato and vegetable soup can also become a homemade ketchup when brown sugar, vinegar and spices are added, or a zesty chili sauce when combined with peppers, vinegar and spices. The homemade condiments are inexpensive and healthier toppers or dippers than the processed, shelf-storage versions available at the local grocery store.