A quick pasta dinner that lets one frozen meatless sausage do the work of building flavor. The sausage has roasted peppers and spinach built in, so dinner is nearly done as soon as the pasta is tender. Serve it hot with a salad if you have greens on hand.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 420 calories a serving, 16 g protein, 79 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a pot, add 1 teaspoon salt, then the 6 oz orzo or small pasta shapes. Cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, then drain.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, chop 1 small onion and mince 2 cloves garlic. Cut the frozen sausage in half lengthwise, then into half-moons about 1 inch thick.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until it softens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.4 min
4. Add the sausage pieces and cook, turning once, until they are thawed and warmed through, about 3 minutes. Pour in the canned tomato with its juice and a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir.3 min
5. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat the noodles with tomato. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, then divide between two bowls and serve at once.

Note Swap regular pasta shapes for orzo if you like. Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days and reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad or pickled vegetables on the side.