Spinach dip transforms into a creamy pasta sauce in minutes, turning a shelf staple into dinner. The dip's red peppers and cream do the work while pasta cooks, and a stir of fresh garlic pushes it from appetizer to main course.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 610 calories a serving, 24 g protein, 91 g carbohydrate, 16 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 a boil and drop in 8 oz pasta, stirring once. Set a timer for the package time.
2. Mince 2 cloves garlic. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large shallow pan over medium heat, add the garlic, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. While the pasta cooks, scrape the entire container of spinach dip into the pan and stir gently until it loosens and warms through, 2 to 3 minutes.3 min
3. When the pasta is tender, scoop out 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the warm dip. Toss, adding pasta water in splashes until the sauce coats the noodles, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
4. Divide between two bowls, top each with 1 oz grated parmesan and a handful of fresh greens, and serve at once.

Note Swap the fresh greens for a squeeze of lemon juice and torn herbs if you like. Leftovers keep three days in a covered bowl in the fridge, thinned with a splash of milk when you reheat. Serve with garlic bread or a green salad on the side.