A cream sauce built entirely from what's on the shelf means pasta night comes together in the time it takes water to boil. Mushrooms brown in the pan while you cook the pasta, then everything meets in one pot with the half and half for a weeknight dinner that feels indulgent but asks nothing of the pantry.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 610 calories a serving, 19 g protein, 73 g carbohydrate, 28 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 add 6 ounces of pasta; stir and cook until tender according to package directions.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice 8 ounces of mushrooms into quarter-inch pieces and add them to the pan with a pinch of salt; let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook until golden and any liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes total.8 min
3. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add them to the mushrooms; cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then pour in 1 cup of half and half and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring often.2 min
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking water, and add the pasta to the cream sauce. Stir gently to coat, adding a splash of cooking water if the sauce feels thick. Taste and adjust seasoning, then divide between two bowls.

Note Swap mushrooms for 2 ounces of prosciutto, torn into pieces and warmed in the butter before the cream goes in. Sauce keeps covered in the refrigerator for three days; reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad to cut the richness.