A sparse shelf calls for pantry pasta built on cream cheese, its chives and onions enough to carry a quick sauce. Toast pasta water into the cheese and you have dinner in twenty minutes, nothing more needed but black pepper and a crust of bread.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 780 calories a serving, 25 g protein, 103 g carbohydrate, 34 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add 6 ounces pasta and stir once. Cook until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions; reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, cut 8 ounces cream cheese into chunks and place in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons butter.
3. Pour 1 cup hot pasta water over the cheese and butter. Let sit for 1 minute until softened, then stir until the sauce is smooth and pourable. Add the drained pasta and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, toss until every strand is coated.2 min

Note For bulk, toss in frozen peas or torn spinach with the hot pasta. Leftovers keep four days covered; thin with a splash of water when you reheat. Serve with crusty bread to wipe the bowl.