Creamy Walnut Sauce

10 oz. fresh spinach

½ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

1 big garlic clove, minced

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil

½ tsp. salt, optional

Ground black pepper, to taste

Wash the spinach and steam it, covered, on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until wilted but still bright green. Drain. Put the spinach and all the other ingredients except the pepper in a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Add pepper to taste.

This sauce goes perfectly over chunky pasta such as rotini and ziti. It’s also good over steamed vegetables like broccoli. You can even spread it on toast.

Posted by Susan Tornheim