White Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 c. olive oil
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 onion
1 pkg. Northern white beans, soaked overnight
4 c. chicken broth
approximately 4 c. water
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1 pkg. fresh spinach

Preparation

Saute carrots, celery and onion in olive oil.
Add soaked beans and fill pan with water and chicken broth.
Cook until tender, about 2 or 2 1/2 hours.
Add the fennel seed after the beans have been cooking for an hour.
Cook small tube pasta until firm; add to beans.
Add chopped raw spinach.
Cover, shut off stove and let spinach cook in the soup.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add garlic cloves if you want when you saute carrots and celery.
Add water or broth if soup gets too thick.