Pesto has always been one of my favorite sauces because it's so good and so simple: it's ready with a few ingredients and a flick of the switch on my food processor. But even pesto gets boring, so, using my trusty processor, I came up with new sauces with a variety of flavors and textures-- a chunky tomato sauce with jalapeños, a velvety goat cheese and roasted pepper mixture, even a creamy, low-fat pesto. Each recipe dresses one pound of pasta; allow one to three tablespoons per person to seve on sandwiches or with grilled food.

Published August 1997