You know what this needs? GARLIC.

I'm all about delicious and easy recipes, so I'm a big fan of Mark Bittman's mission (at least that's the way I see it) of serving those up. Last Wednesday, the New York Times published his list of 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less (which has been at the top of NYT.com's most e-mailed list all week) and, on Monday, I stumbled upon Bittman's recipe for Penne with Ricotta, Parmesan, and Peas.

It's a very simple recipe (cook pasta, cook peas, throw them together with ricotta, parm, salt and pepper) but it's also kind of bland. Really, how much more difficult would it be to saute several cloves of minced garlic in olive oil and toss it in with everything else? Answer: NOT HARD AT ALL.

So the moral of this story is: for maximum deliciousness with minimum effort, add garlic.

Mark Bittman's recipe for Penne with Ricotta, Parmesan, and Peas.