A weeknight pasta where cream cheese melts into a silky sauce with garlic and herbs already built in. You have everything in the pantry to turn this shelf staple into dinner in the time it takes water to boil.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 760 calories a serving, 24 g protein, 93 g carbohydrate, 33 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 8 ounces of pasta until just tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, mince 2 cloves of garlic and warm 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.1 min
3. Cut 8 ounces of the cream cheese spread into small pieces and add it to the skillet with the warm butter and garlic. Stir until the cheese begins to melt, then add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until you have a smooth sauce, about 2 minutes.2 min
4. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss gently, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to a silky consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note Swap cream cheese for mascarpone if you have it. Leftovers keep two days refrigerated and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad or steamed vegetables on the side.