posted by Nalani 08-28-101 8:19 AM 
 
Vegetable Bean Soup 
2 cups chopped onion 
1 cup chopped carrots 
1 cup chopped celery 
6 cups water 
3 beef boullion cubes 
1 (28 oz) can  or 2 (15 oz) cans chopped tomatoes 
1 package beans (rinsed and soaked overnight and drained) 
1 cup quick cooking barley 
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
salt and pepper 
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed.   
In a Dutch oven coated with non stick cooking spray, saute onion, carrots, and celery until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add everything else except spinach. bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are done . Add spinach and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. 
Note: My recipe says to bring to boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Now if the beans are not cooked you would have to simmer longer or precook the beans.