Ricotta salata is a firm, salty cheese that melts slightly into hot pasta while keeping its shape, cutting through rich butter with vinegar's tang. This shelf gives you the backbone of a quick Roman-style pasta dinner that comes together in the time it takes water to boil.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 700 calories a serving, 30 g protein, 102 g carbohydrate, 21 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 add 8 oz pasta, stirring to prevent sticking. While it cooks, mince 2 cloves garlic and crumble 4 oz ricotta salata into small pieces.
2. When pasta has 2 minutes left, wilt 3 cups fresh spinach or arugula directly in the pot by stirring it in with the pasta and water. Cook until the greens soften and drain, reserving 1 cup of the starchy water.2 min
3. In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and cook the minced garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the drained pasta and greens. Toss in most of the ricotta salata, adding splashes of reserved water to coat everything lightly, season with salt and pepper, and divide between two bowls. Top each with remaining cheese.1 min

Note Swap in kale if you have it, but tear it smaller and add it to the pasta water a minute earlier. Leftovers keep cold for two days and are good at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon. Serve with crusty bread and a sharp wine.