A weeknight carbonara built on bright lemon avocado oil—no cream needed. This shelf holds just one bottle and a lemon, so dinner comes from what you already have at home. The oil turns golden and sharp against silky egg yolk.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 18 at the stove.

About 550 calories a serving, 21 g protein, 92 g carbohydrate, 10 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 and cook 8 oz pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.10 min
2. While the pasta cooks, whisk together 2 egg yolks in a bowl with the zest of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of the pasta water until smooth.
3. Mince 1 garlic clove and warm it in 1/4 cup lemon avocado oil in a large bowl over low heat just until fragrant, 1 minute, then remove from heat.1 min
4. Toss the hot drained pasta into the oil and garlic, then pour in the egg mixture and 2 tablespoons more pasta water, tossing constantly off the heat until the eggs coat the pasta in a silky sauce, about 1 minute; the residual heat cooks the yolks without scrambling them.
5. Squeeze juice from the lemon into the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add more pasta water by the tablespoon if the sauce seems tight.

Note Swap the eggs for 2 oz grated Parmesan or pecorino if you prefer. Leftovers keep refrigerated for one day; reheat gently with a splash of pasta water. Serve with a side salad or steamed greens.