Italian cured meats turn crisp and render their fat into the pasta water, building the sauce with no cream needed. This shelf lets you skip to dinner in under thirty minutes, with that salty, savory depth that comes only from real charcuterie.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 860 calories a serving, 37 g protein, 71 g carbohydrate, 47 g fat. From USDA figures for 89% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add 6 oz pasta. Chop 3 oz genoa salami, 2 oz soppressata, and 1 oz prosciutto into pieces a quarter-inch thick. Mince 2 cloves garlic.
2. When the pasta has five minutes left to cook, warm 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the salami pieces, and let them crisp for two minutes, stirring once, until their edges curl. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.2 min
3. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Scoop one cup of pasta water into a measuring cup. Drain the pasta into the salami and garlic, reserving that cup of water.
4. Tilt the skillet off the heat slightly and pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the pasta constantly; the residual heat will cook them into a silky coating. Add 1 tablespoon butter and three-quarters cup of the pasta water, stirring as you go.
5. Set the skillet over low heat and fold in three-quarters oz grated parmesan, a pinch of salt if needed, and black pepper to taste. If the pasta seems thick, add the remaining pasta water a splash at a time. Divide between two bowls and top with the remaining parmesan.

Note Swap in diced bacon if you prefer, but the uncured meats here have their own minerality that eggs echo. Leftovers keep three days in the fridge and reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water. Serve with torn lettuce and a squeeze of lemon, or a tomato salad on the side.