A quick pasta dinner built on the salami and mozzarella already on hand. Slice the salami into crisps, toss it with hot pasta, and let the cheese melt into creamy threads. This is fast enough for a Tuesday night.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 1070 calories a serving, 58 g protein, 91 g carbohydrate, 51 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 over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add 8 oz of pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, about two minutes less than the package says. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, slice 8 oz of hard salami into thin crisps and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the salami crisps, and cook until they begin to crisp at the edges, about 2 minutes, stirring now and then. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more until fragrant.3 min
3. Pour the drained pasta into the skillet with the salami and garlic. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water and toss over medium heat for 1 minute. Tear 6 oz of mozzarella cheese into small pieces and scatter over the pasta, then toss gently until the cheese melts into creamy strands, about 2 minutes, adding more cooking water by the spoonful if it seems dry.4 min
4. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide between two bowls and serve at once.

Note Swap the mozzarella for chunks of fresh ricotta if you prefer a looser sauce. Leftovers keep refrigerated for one day; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water. Serve with a green salad or a bitter leaf like escarole.