This is a quick clam pasta in the style of spaghetti alle vongole veraci, built on the one shelf item and finished in under twenty minutes. The clams come packed in brine that becomes your sauce, so you just need pasta, garlic, and oil to make dinner for two.

Serves 2. 18 minutes, 8 at the stove.

About 600 calories a serving, 25 g protein, 69 g carbohydrate, 25 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 boil and add 6 oz pasta; stir and cook until just shy of tender, about two minutes under package time, so it finishes in the clam sauce.
2. While pasta cooks, pour 3 tablespoons oil into a wide skillet over medium heat and add 4 cloves garlic, crushed; cook until fragrant and the garlic turns pale gold, about two minutes, watching so it does not brown.2 min
3. Pour the entire tin of clams with their juice into the skillet, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until it reduces by half and thickens slightly, about four minutes.4 min
4. When the pasta is nearly tender, reserve one cup of pasta water and drain the rest, then add the pasta to the clam sauce along with two tablespoons of pasta water; toss over the heat and let the starch finish cooking the pasta through and thicken the sauce, about two minutes, adding more pasta water if it seems dry.2 min
5. Taste and add salt and pepper, then divide between two bowls.

Note Swap the pasta for rice if you prefer. Leftovers keep refrigerated in a covered container for up to two days; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread to soak up the broth.