Jill and Michael collaborated:

>> Hmmm...I would brown the sausage
>
> It's already been browned; this is leftover from a meal the other day.
> However I can certainly throw it back in the bottom of the soup pot to
> brown a tad more
>
> and deglaze the pan with a bit of the
>> dissolved, diluted soup base.
>
> Oh, I have some red wine in the cupboard; I could deglaze with that then
> add the diluted soup base.
>
>> I'd use 2 cans of stewed tomatoes with
>> the juice and 1 can of tomato sauce. Season to taste.
>
> Think I'll even use that nifty whizzer gadget to puree the stewed tomatoes
> before I add to the pot.
>
>> Keep an eye on it and add water to thin the tomato sauce if needed. Add
>> the cooked rice the last few minutes and add more diluted soup base if
>> needed. This is a fly by the seat of your whisk momemt but I would go
>> ahead with it.
>>
>> Michael
>
> Thanks, Michael. Sounds like a plan to me!

Do you have an Parmesan cheese or beans? A can of white beans would add heft
to the soup, and Parmesan seems like it would complement the soup nicely. Or
you could make Parmesan-garlic croutons to float on top if you want to go
the extra mile. Do the tomatoes have basil in them, or are they "pure"? If
they're unseasoned, you can add any number of herbs to the soup if you feel
like it.

(Of course, this post is probably being sent too late to do any good!)

Bob