Creamy blue cheese transforms into a luxurious sauce with just butter and pasta water, making the most of a good wedge. This shelf has a stellar cheese that needs only heat and starch to become dinner. Serve with a salad to cut the richness.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 730 calories a serving, 27 g protein, 85 g carbohydrate, 30 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook 8 ounces of pasta until one minute before the package says it is done, then drain, reserving 1 cup of the starchy water.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, crumble 4 ounces of gorgonzola into a large pan over low heat with 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring often until the cheese softens and begins to melt into the butter, about 3 minutes.3 min
3. Add the hot pasta to the pan with the cheese and butter, then pour in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss gently to coat every strand, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce looks dry. The starch will help the cheese cling to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.

Note Swap the gorgonzola for another crumbly cheese if you find yourself with one. Leftovers keep covered for two days and taste best stirred gently in a warm pan with a splash of water. Serve with bitter greens or a tomato salad on the side.