Summer Evening Pasta

I really wanted to love this dish from Gillian's Goodies, but it just didn't speak to me the way I had hoped.  I thought it was kind of dry, and while I love each ingredient separately, I thought it lacked flavor as a whole.  I did leave out a couple of things, so maybe that was my problem, but I'm not so sure I'd make this again.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe, really fresh tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp. fresh basil, minced
• 1/8 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp. black or kalamata olives, chopped
• 1-2 tsp. capers, drained
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 pound short pasta (wagon wheels, butterflies, penne...)
• 1/2 cup cooked white/navy beans

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Add the pre-cooked beans during the last few minutes of cooking time just to warm them through.

2. While the pasta cooks, place half of the tomatoes in a large bowl along with the onion, olives, capers, and basil.

3. Place the remaining tomato chunks into a blender or food processor bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Puree until smooth. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the tomato-caper-basil mixture.

4. Once the pasta and beans are ready, drain and add them to the bowl with the tomato mixture. Toss well and serve