Pasta e Fagioli Soup

My family came over for dinner yesterday, so I wanted to try a soup I'd never made before.  Minestrone always seems to be a hit, so I thought I'd try another soup that had pasta in it.  I'm not claiming that this is a traditional pasta e fagioli soup because I was making it up as I went based on what I thought should be in it, but it does have the pasta (Ditalini) and the fagioli (navy beans)!

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups fresh spinach, torn

16 oz can navy beans, drained and slightly crushed

16 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes in sauce, chopped into ~1/2 inch pieces

3 cups vegetable broth (or 1 cube vegetable bullion dissolved in 3 cups  of water)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 bay leaf (or 1/2 tsp crushed bay leaves)

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped fine

1 celery stalk, peeled and cut into ~1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup small pasta (I used Ditalini)

Directions

1.  In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil on med-high heat for ~5 min.  Add the spinach and cook for another 5 min (till spinach wilts).

2.  Add the navy beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, oregano, bay leaf, and black pepper.  Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.  In another pot, boil the pasta until done (should be al dente- be careful not to over cook).  Drain and keep on the side to add later.

4.  When ready to serve, add the celery, parsley, and pasta to the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil and serve hot.