Minnestrone

This year I decided not to plant drying beans because the two rows I planted last year resulted in a whopping total 1/2 cup.  What do you do with just 1/2 cup of dried beans?  Not much I can tell you that.  So I hadn't used them yet, that was until tonight.

Yesterday I put the beans in a bowl and covered them with water and let them soak for 24 hours.  I then simmered them in a pot with water for an hour before incorporating them into the soup.

In my normal fashion I took a recipe and then modified it to meet my needs.  These are approximations of what I used to make the soup. 

In a pot I combined: two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 2 cups water, 1 cup stock (any kind), beans, 1 bell pepper chopped, 1-2 cups penne pasta, 1TBS dried Italian herbs.  Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.  Turn off heat and mix in one large bundle of baby or chopped spinach, approximately 3 cups.  Top of each serving with Parmesan or fresh basil.