Recipe #54 - Beans, Pasta, Spinach & Cheese

We made this with black beans, which is fine, but the beans tend to "dye" the rest of the dish with their color. We decided to try white beans instead on the next go-around.

1/2 lb. bite-size pasta (rotini, farfalle, cavatappi, etc.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 15 oz. can great northern (white) beans
1/2 cup rich vegetable stock
Salt & pepper to taste
6 oz. fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded asiago or other hard cheese

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Heat the olive oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for another couple of minutes, then add the beans, stock and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted throughout and season with salt and pepper.

Add in the cheeses and stir thoroughly. At this point, you can do one of two things: Either serve immediately as is, or put the whole thing into a baking dish, top with additional mozzarella and asiago, and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until the cheese on top is melted and starting to get bubbly.