Comforting Italian Lentil Soup with Pasta

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-low to medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Stir often so the onion and garlic don't darken too much.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw tomato flavor.
Pour in the broth, cover the pot, and raise the heat to high to bring the broth to a boil. Stir in the lentils and pasta along with the bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot with a lid so that it's mostly covered, but not entirely.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the soup has thickened. Remove bay leaf. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the Pecorino and parsley, if using. Enjoy!