A bare-shelf dinner that leans on what you have: American cheese melts into soft, salty scrambled eggs. This is the quickest weeknight dinner when the cupboard needs restocking.

Serves 2. 15 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 350 calories a serving, 23 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 24 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Toast two slices of bread to your liking while you work.5 min
2. Crack four eggs into a bowl and whisk with one-quarter teaspoon salt and one-quarter teaspoon pepper.
3. Set a nonstick pan over medium heat and add two tablespoons butter; when it foams, pour in the eggs and push them gently from the edges to the center with a spatula, taking about three minutes until they are soft and creamy.3 min
4. Tear four slices of American cheese into pieces and stir them into the eggs off the heat until melted; they will finish cooking in the residual heat.
5. Divide the scramble between two plates, set the toast alongside, and serve at once.

Note Swap any cheese for the American. Leftovers do not keep well; cook fresh the next time. Serve with hot sauce or jam on the side if you have it, or eat plain with just the toast.