Shells with White Kidney Beans

Okay, so I make a lot of pasta. I'm okay with that, because I love pasta. I also love how you can basically cook the same thing every time, but there are an infinite number of little flavors that you can change.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 large red onion, chopped
• 1/2 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• dash of salt
• 2 servings whole wheat shell pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Process:

1. Put water and salt in a pot; bring to boil. Add shells and cook as directed (6 minutes or so for al dente). Drain and return to pot.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add pepper and onion. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
3. Add garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and basil to vegetables. Cook for another minute.
4. Add kidney beans to mixture. Lower heat to medium-low. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
5. Add vegetable mixture to drained shells in pot. Stir. Add mozzarella and stir until everything is well mixed and the cheese is melted.

I liked this a lot better than the last dish, probably because I wasn't afraid to throw in more flavors with the herbs and powders. All of the above measurements of spices and oil are guesses; I tend to just add variable amounts until I think it smells/looks good. I almost didn't add the cheese at the end, but I'm glad I did - I love cheesy pasta!

The peppers, onions, beans, and spices - yum!

The final product.