A jar of mozzarella cream sauce does the work of a dinner when you have pasta and maybe a vegetable. This is your answer on nights when cooking feels like too much, with time for a salad or green.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 490 calories a serving, 20 g protein, 89 g carbohydrate, 5 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. Cut 1 pint of cherry tomatoes in half. Bring the mozzarella sauce to a gentle simmer in a wide skillet over medium heat, stirring often, while the water heats.
2. Add 8 ounces of penne to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 11 minutes. While pasta cooks, tear 4 ounces of fresh spinach into the sauce and stir until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato halves and stir.11 min
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir well, and thin with a splash of reserved cooking water if it looks thick. Season with salt and pepper, divide between two bowls, and serve.

Note Swap spinach for sliced zucchini or mushrooms if you have them; add them to the sauce before the pasta. Leftovers keep in the fridge for three days; warm gently with a splash of water. A crisp salad or crusty bread makes it a meal.