White Bean, Spinach, and Barley Stew

Somehow I ended up with 5 cans of white beans in the pantry (quite a few unmade recipes, I guess). Wanting to use some of them I searched the 'net and found this recipe for White Bean, Spinach, and Barley Stew. It was really good, and great for the (slightly) cooler, rainy weather we had today.

White Bean, Spinach, and Barley Stew

http://vegetablewithmore.com/

1 cup uncooked pearl barley

3 cups water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

3/4 cup small fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

2 tablespoons white wine

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 pinch red pepper flakes

Bring the barley and water to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until tender.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Season with rosemary. Mix the mushrooms, yellow bell pepper, and wine into the pot, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked barley, beans, tomatoes, and spinach. Season with red pepper flakes. Continue cooking 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. (I also seasoned it with salt.)

6 servings