A weeknight ragu built on one jar. The sauce carries grilled steak flavor so all you do is boil pasta, heat the ragu, and finish it with butter and cheese. Serve it over a pound of dried pasta for two hungry people.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 690 calories a serving, 37 g protein, 89 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it well with 1 teaspoon salt. Add 8 ounces pasta and stir. Cook until the pasta is tender but still has a bite, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, pour the jar of ragu into a small pot and set it over medium heat. Let it warm through, stirring now and then, until it is steaming, about 5 minutes.5 min
3. Drain the pasta, leaving behind a cup of the cooking water. Add the hot pasta to the ragu and stir in 1 tablespoon butter. If the sauce seems thick, splash in a few tablespoons of the cooking water to loosen it. Taste and season with 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
4. Divide the pasta between two bowls and top each with 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese. Serve at once.

Note Swap the pasta for rice or polenta if you prefer. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for three days; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve alongside a simple green salad dressed with oil and vinegar.