A jar of ready-made pesto alfredo does the heavy lifting here, turning pasta and simple proteins into dinner in minutes. Chicken and a handful of greens round out the sauce, making this feel like a proper meal despite the shortcut.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 810 calories a serving, 58 g protein, 91 g carbohydrate, 24 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 drop in 6 ounces of pasta; cook it until just tender, about 10 minutes.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, cut 10 ounces of chicken breast into bite-size pieces and warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
3. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until it is white throughout, about 6 minutes, stirring twice; season with salt and pepper.6 min
4. Mince 1 clove of garlic and stir it into the chicken, then pour in the jar of pesto alfredo sauce and stir to coat the chicken, warming the sauce for 1 minute.1 min
5. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat, then fold in 2 cups of fresh spinach or arugula until it wilts.
6. Divide between two bowls and finish with a grind of pepper each.

Note Swap the chicken for cooked shrimp or skip it entirely for a vegetarian version; add mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes. Leftovers keep refrigerated for two days and reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Serve with garlic bread or a simple green salad alongside.