A jar of Italian sausage meat sauce becomes dinner in the time it takes pasta to cook. Frozen spinach added at the end turns this from quick sauce into a meal that stretches across the bowl.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 490 calories a serving, 21 g protein, 91 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat. From USDA figures for 75% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add 8 oz pasta. Stir and cook until one minute before the package says it's done, about 9 minutes for most shapes.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, pour the entire 44 oz jar of sausage meat sauce into a wide skillet over medium heat. Stir in 10 oz frozen spinach, breaking it into chunks as it thaws, and bring to a simmer.
3. When the pasta is one minute shy of done, scoop out 1 cup pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce with the spinach.
4. Toss gently, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats the noodles and flows slightly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.2 min

Note Swap frozen spinach for fresh arugula tossed in at the end if you have it. Leftovers keep covered for three days and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with grated cheese and crusty bread.