Baked Pasta E Fagioli - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 ounces penne (small) or 8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes in puree (whole or pre-chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (15 ounce) cans navy beans or (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 cup vegetable broth
black pepper, ground
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup romano cheese, freshly grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400. Heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 2 minutes less than label directions. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Return pasta to saucepot.
Meanwhile, drain tomatoes, reserving puree. Coarsely chop tomatoes. (Or use chopped tomatoes in puree).
In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery and cook 9-10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes with puree, beans, broth and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and stir in spinach.
Add bean mixture, pasta cooking water and 1/4 cup Romano to pasta in saucepot and toss until well mixed. Transfer pasta mixture to 3-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Romano and bake 15 minutes or until center is hot and top is golden.