A weeknight carbonara-style dish that uses up heavy cream in a silky sauce. Bacon and garlic give it backbone; cream does the rest. On the table in twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 1110 calories a serving, 46 g protein, 93 g carbohydrate, 61 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need 1 cup heavy cream, 8 oz pasta, 4 oz bacon, 4 cloves garlic, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 oz Parmesan cheese.

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add 8 oz pasta; stir and cook until just shy of tender, about two minutes before the box says, then drain and set aside.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, chop 4 oz bacon into small pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon crisps, stirring now and then, about six minutes. Mince 4 cloves garlic and add to the bacon, cook until fragrant, about thirty seconds.
3. Pour 1 cup heavy cream into the skillet with the bacon and garlic, stir, and let it warm through, about two minutes; do not boil hard.2 min
4. Add the drained pasta to the cream sauce and toss well, adding a tablespoon of butter and stirring until it melts into the sauce, about one minute.1 min
5. Grate 2 oz Parmesan cheese over the pasta and toss again; taste and adjust salt and grind black pepper over both bowls.

Note Swap bacon for pancetta if you have it, or leave it out altogether and use more garlic for a simpler dish. Leftovers keep three days chilled in an airtight container and warm gently on the stovetop with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad and good bread to soak up the sauce.

Half a cup of cream becomes a silky, delicate sauce for pasta when you add just garlic and sage. This is the quickest way to use what's left in the bottle, and it tastes like you put in real effort.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 630 calories a serving, 13 g protein, 67 g carbohydrate, 35 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need 1/2 cup [120 ml] heavy cream, 6 oz [170 g] pasta, 2 tablespoons [30 g] butter, 3 cloves garlic, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 1 small bunch fresh sage.

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add 6 oz pasta. Cook until one minute short of tender, stirring once, about 9 minutes depending on shape.9 min
2. While the pasta cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, shallow pan over medium heat. Slice 3 garlic cloves thin and add to the butter; cook, stirring, until pale gold and fragrant, about 2 minutes.2 min
3. Pour in the 1/2 cup heavy cream and bring to a bare simmer. Tear about 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves into the pan and stir in a small pinch of salt and pepper. The cream should be steaming and slightly thickened when you drag a spoon through it.3 min
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the pasta to the cream and toss well, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce seems thick. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Divide between two bowls and serve right away.

Note Swap fresh sage for dried if that's what you have: use 1/2 teaspoon and add it when you pour in the cream. This keeps in the fridge for one day but the cream tends to separate; warm it gently with a splash of water before eating. Serve with grated Parmesan and a simple green salad, or stretch it into four servings by adding more pasta.

Three tablespoons of cream goes a long way when you build it into a simple pan sauce for pasta and wilted greens. This is the kind of supper that uses up cream that's been sitting in the back of the fridge, turns it into something worth eating, and gets dinner on the table fast.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 710 calories a serving, 22 g protein, 72 g carbohydrate, 37 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need 3 tablespoons heavy cream half, 6 ounces pasta, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 cloves garlic, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 1 tablespoon butter, 5 ounces fresh spinach, 2 ounces parmesan.

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook 6 ounces of pasta until it is one minute shy of tender, then drain and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. While the pasta cooks, warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add 3 cloves of garlic, minced, stirring often until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about two minutes.
3. Add 5 ounces of fresh spinach to the pan in handfuls, stirring as it wilts, until all of it has collapsed into the pan, about three minutes.3 min
4. Pour 3 tablespoons of heavy cream into the pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, bringing it all to a simmer and stirring to combine, one minute.1 min
5. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, adding more pasta water by the tablespoon if the sauce seems dry, and season with salt and pepper to taste until it tastes right.
6. Divide the pasta between two bowls and grate 2 ounces of parmesan over each.

Note Swap spinach for any bitter greens or even torn kale. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for three days and taste fine reheated gently on the stove with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread to soak up the sauce.