A jar of good pesto needs only pasta, butter, and garlic to become dinner. This Rao's blend of sundried tomato and cashew is rich enough to coat noodles simply, while the chili and salt already built in mean you can taste as you go.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 540 calories a serving, 15 g protein, 87 g carbohydrate, 14 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 rolling boil and salt it generously. While the water heats, mince 1 clove garlic and warm 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it foams.
2. Add the minced garlic to the butter and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Pour in half a jar of pesto and stir to combine, warming through for one minute; do not let it bubble hard.
3. Drop 8 oz pasta into the boiling water and cook until just tender, stirring once halfway through. Save one cup of the pasta water before draining.10 min
4. Toss the drained pasta into the pesto mixture and add a quarter cup of pasta water, tossing well to coat every strand. If the sauce looks tight, add more pasta water a splash at a time until it clings to the noodles and moves loosely in the pan.2 min
5. Taste and adjust salt if needed, remembering the pesto carries salt already. Divide between two bowls and serve hot.

Note Swap in half a cup of cream stirred into the pesto if you want richness. Leftovers keep three days covered; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve alongside a sharp green salad or roasted broccoli to cut the pesto's intensity.