A straightforward weeknight dinner built around a good jarred sauce already loaded with garlic and cheese. Toss it with pasta and what's in your pantry for a meal that tastes like you spent longer than you did.

Serves 2. 25 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 580 calories a serving, 26 g protein, 71 g carbohydrate, 21 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in 6 oz pasta, stirring once to keep it from sticking. Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, warm the jar of sauce in another pan or pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it steams, about 5 minutes.5 min
3. Mince 2 garlic cloves and stir them into the warming sauce along with 1 tablespoon butter; let the butter melt and the garlic warm through without browning.
4. Drain the pasta and add it straight to the sauce, tossing to coat every piece. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note Swap pasta for rice if you have it. Leftovers keep four days in the fridge; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water. Serve with bread to soak up the sauce, or top with a fried egg for breakfast the next morning.