Cottage cheese melts into a silky sauce when tossed warm with pasta, cream, and herbs. Tonight's dinner rides on that one tub you have on hand. Serve it straight from the pan with grated cheese and cracked pepper.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 660 calories a serving, 33 g protein, 74 g carbohydrate, 26 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 cook 6 oz of pasta until al dente, about 9 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.10 min
2. While pasta cooks, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup of cottage cheese and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, stirring until the mixture loosens and heats through, about 2 minutes.3 min
3. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, adding more pasta water a splash at a time if the sauce seems thick. Fold in 2 cups of fresh spinach or arugula and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and season with salt and pepper.2 min
4. Divide between two bowls. Grate 1 oz of parmesan over each serving and crack fresh pepper on top.

Note Swap frozen spinach for fresh if that is what you have; thaw and squeeze dry, then stir in at the end. Leftovers keep three days in the fridge and taste fine cold or warmed gently on the stove. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.