A tired dinner of shelf mac and cheese, gilded with garlic breadcrumbs and butter so it tastes like something you meant to make. Twenty minutes start to finish.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 360 calories a serving, 9 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Tear 2 slices of bread into coarse crumbs and add them to the butter; stir until golden, about 4 minutes, then mince 2 cloves garlic and add them to the pan. Cook until fragrant, another minute.5 min
2. While the breadcrumbs toast, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook one box of mac and cheese according to the package directions, stirring occasionally.12 min
3. Drain the pasta, season it with salt and pepper, and divide between two bowls. Top each with the garlic breadcrumbs and their butter.

Note Stir a handful of fresh greens into the hot pasta if you have them. Leftovers keep three days in the fridge. Serve with a simple green salad or steamed vegetables on the side to stretch the meal.