Three-ingredient silky cheese-and-pepper pasta with a green side

$1.87/servingat the cheapest of your stores this week · 7 ingredients on sale

Ingredients

• spaghetti200 g
• parmesan cheese1¼ cups, finely grated
• butter3 tbsp
• black pepper1½ tsp, coarsely ground
• spinach5 big handfuls
• garlic2 cloves
• lemon1 ea

Method

1Boil the pasta

• •Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, using LESS water than usual (the starchy water is the sauce).
• •Cook the spaghetti 9 to 11 minutes until tender.
• •Scoop out a full cup of the pasta water, then drain.

2Toast the pepper

• •Meanwhile, toast the coarsely ground pepper in a dry pan over medium heat 1 minute until fragrant.
• •Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and simmer 1 minute.

3Emulsify

• •Add the spaghetti to the pan and toss 30 seconds.
• •Take the pan OFF the heat.
• •Add the finely grated parmesan in three handfuls, tossing hard after each, until a glossy sauce coats every strand (loosen with more pasta water as needed; high heat makes it clump).

4Garlic spinach

• •Wilt the spinach with the sliced garlic and 1 tsp oil in a second pan, 2 minutes.
• •Season and brighten with a squeeze of half of the lemon.

5Plate

• •Twirl the pasta into two bowls with an extra grind of pepper.
• •Serve the garlic spinach alongside.