Spinach and Basil Pesto

Spinach, in combination with basil, makes a less intensely-flavored pesto sauce. Some may enjoy this milder flavor, whether served traditionally on pasta, or as a topping for potatoes or an offbeat dressing for potato salad, on grains, or as a garnish for soup.

Makes about 1 ½ cups (enough for 10 to 12 ounces of pasta)

½ to 1 cup firmly packed basil leaves, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon, or more, to taste
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed, optional
¼ cup pine nuts or ½ cup walnut halves
(or omit nuts if you'd like a less caloric pesto)
6 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and drained,
or regular spinach, stemmed, chopped, and well washed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse on and off until the mixture is a coarse, even puree. You may need to add the spinach in batches if your processor has a small or medium-sized container.

Stop the machine and season gently with salt and pepper; taste to see if you'd like to add more lemon juice. Serve at once — stir into hot cooked pasta or use as suggested above in the headnote.