This past weeks cold and windy weather inspired me to stay inside. A lot. I think I left my home one time and I hated it so much. By the end of the week, I didnt have many ingredients left to make any particular dish. I peered around my kitchen and rummaged through my fridge to find five forgotten baby potatoes, two chicken sausages, and a single zucchini. Split between two people, this alone is not a meal to get excited aboutbut as giambotta, it could be a winter meal to look forward to.Giambotta is also spelled ciambotta (and if youre in my partners family then you pronounce it something like jom-both), and it hails from Southern Italy. This hearty vegetable stew is one of those gorgeously flexible dishes that can be modified depending on what you have on hand, and how your family prefers to eat it. Although I only started eating it when my partner started making it for me, I already know how I prefer it. Personally, there needs to be zucchini involved and I like the veggies chunky. He likes a less watery broth, but I dont mind it. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann All that to say, you can modify this soup a bit to your liking. Your giambotta might have a barely tomato-tinged broth that looks more yellow; your neighbor might prefer a thicker, bright, tomato-forward sauce. The consistent ingredients I always see are potatoes, onion, some sort of tomato addition, and zucchini.Beyond that, you can add sliced chicken, sausage, a can of chickpeas, wilted greens, or chopped carrots. Basically, whatever you have on hand. I love this soup for a Thursday or Friday night when Im using up the bits and bobs that never made it into something earlier that weekthe small zucchini, the five baby potatoes, the frozen tomato sauce that lives in my freezer. Its the best soup to make when you need to buy time between grocery store runs. I didn't have fresh tomatoes for the sauce, so I broke off clumps of the frozen sauce I often keep in the fridge. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann This soup is absolutely delicious served as-is, over a scoop of rice, or with the addition of short, wiggly pasta shapes. The zucchini has a tendency to over-soften when reheat the next day, so I prefer to finish the entire batch without leaving any leftovers.Giambotta Recipe Ingredients:1 tablespoon olive oil small onion, minced1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed4-6 baby potatoes, halved4 button mushrooms, chopped2 chicken sausages, halved lengthwise and sliced1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced teaspoon salt cup seasoned tomato sauce2 cups chicken, beef, or veggie broth1. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and add the onion, potatoes, and garlic. Cook over medium low heat until the onions begin to sweat, the potatoes are coated in oil and its fragrant. This should take about three minutes.2. Add the mushrooms, chicken sausage pieces, and zucchini. Stir occasionally for another three minutes to start cooking them and gain some color.3. Add the salt, tomato sauce, and broth. Stir and then cover the pot with a lid. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender. This should take about five minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.Note that I dont have additional dry seasonings in this recipethats because my tomato sauce was homemade. I suggest using a pre-seasoned sauce, or add some dry seasonings (like garlic powder, onion powder, or dry chili flakes) to suit your taste.