Pasta Fagioli

This is a recipe from a coworker that has become a staple. Eyeball all ingredients.

1) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil (I used half an onion and 1/2 a clove.) Add 1/2 can tomato paste. Add a bit of water. Again, just eyeball the measurements and do use as much as your gut tells you. Add kidney beans (rinsed and drained, of course). Cook through and then simmer.

2) In a separate pot, cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Combine all ingredients, adding red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste.

Lesson learned: Pasta increases when cooked. I measured out 2 c. of dried pasta thinking the end result would be 2 c. cooked pasta...NOT SO! In reality, I had well over 3 c. cooked pasta. So, next time, measure out less pasta from the get-go.