This shelf holds black pepper feta and little else, so pasta becomes the frame for a warm cheese sauce that needs only what every kitchen keeps. Toss hot pasta with the feta, fat, and greens to build dinner in one pot in under twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 690 calories a serving, 29 g protein, 92 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop in 8 ounces of pasta; stir once and cook until just tender, about nine minutes, while you slice 2 garlic cloves thin.9 min
2. Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan and add the garlic slices; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about two minutes.2 min
3. Tear 4 ounces of fresh spinach or arugula into large pieces and add to the warm oil off heat, stirring until just wilted, about one minute.
4. Drain the pasta, keeping back one cup of the cooking water, and add the hot pasta to the greens and oil off heat.
5. Break 6 ounces of black pepper feta into small curds over the pasta and add one quarter cup of the pasta water; toss gently until the cheese softens into a loose sauce, adding more water if needed to reach the consistency you want, and season to taste with salt.

Note Swap the greens for diced zucchini or tomato if you have them. Leftovers hold for two days covered in the fridge and warm gently with a splash of water stirred in. Serve with lemon wedges or a sharp vinegar to cut the richness, and crusty bread to wipe the pan.