Sliced provolone melts into a silky, smoke-kissed sauce with butter and pasta water, proving that the simplest dishes need only good cheese and time. This is what the shelf gives you, so we build around it. Dinner in twenty minutes.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 930 calories a serving, 44 g protein, 88 g carbohydrate, 44 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 and cook the pasta until just past al dente, about one minute more than the package says. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.12 min
2. Mince 2 cloves garlic and melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same pot over medium heat. Cook the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.1 min
3. Turn the heat to low and tear 8 slices provolone into pieces, then add them to the pot with 3/4 cup pasta water, stirring constantly until the cheese melts and becomes a sauce. The sauce is ready when it coats a spoon and looks glossy. Add salt and pepper to taste.5 min

Note Swap the provolone for any good melting cheese. Leftovers keep two days refrigerated and reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with crusty bread and a green salad if you have greens on hand.