What can you do with a jar of pesto besides pasta?

A jar of pesto in the fridge is a small insurance policy. Homemade pesto is a joy in basil season, and we have a page on keeping it green, but a jar from the shop is there on a Tuesday in February when the basil plant is a memory. It has already done the hard work: herbs, cheese, nuts, oil and salt, all in one spoon. The only question is where else to put it.

First, wake it up

Jarred pesto is usually thicker and a little more muted than fresh, because it has to sit on a shelf. Two small steps make it taste brighter:

• Loosen it. Stir a spoonful or two of good olive oil into the amount you are using, or a splash of warm water or pasta water if you want it lighter. It should drop from a spoon rather than sit there.
• Brighten it. A squeeze of lemon and a little grated zest, a few torn basil leaves or chopped parsley, a grating of fresh Parmesan. Taste after each addition.

Optional extras, depending on where it is going: toasted pine nuts or walnuts for crunch, a pinch of chilli, a little crushed garlic if you like it pungent.

Eggs

Pesto and eggs are an excellent match. Some ways in:

• Fried eggs in pesto. Spoon some pesto into a hot pan, let it sizzle for a moment, crack the eggs into it and cook until the whites set and the edges crisp. Serve on toast.
• Scrambled eggs with a spoonful swirled through at the very end, off the heat.
• Frittata with a ribbon of pesto on top before it goes under the grill.
• Soft-boiled eggs halved over a smear of pesto with flaky salt.

More ideas for dinner in eggs for dinner.

Potatoes

Boil small potatoes until tender, drain, crush them lightly with a fork and toss them warm with loosened pesto. Or roast them until crisp and toss with pesto the moment they come out. Green beans tossed in at the same time make it a proper plate.

Beans and grains

A tin of white beans, drained and rinsed, warmed with a little water, then stirred with pesto and lemon: that is lunch. It also lifts lentils, farro, couscous and grain salads. Add tomatoes and a handful of rocket and it holds well for a few hours.

Toast and sandwiches

• Pesto and ricotta toast: spread toast with ricotta, then a stripe of pesto, then black pepper and a few cherry tomatoes.
• Grilled cheese with pesto spread inside alongside the cheese.
• A sandwich spread mixed half and half with mayonnaise or yoghurt.

Soups

A spoonful on top of minestrone, bean soup or tomato soup, stirred in at the table, adds a fresh, green note to something that has been simmering a while.

Roast and grilled vegetables

Toss roast courgettes, peppers, aubergines, cauliflower or carrots with loosened pesto as soon as they come out of the oven, while they are hot enough to soak it up. It also works as a quick marinade for vegetables going on the grill: thin it with oil, toss, cook.

Dressings and dips

• Pesto vinaigrette: one part pesto, one part olive oil, a splash of vinegar or lemon, whisked. Lovely on tomatoes and mozzarella.
• Pesto yoghurt dip: stir pesto into thick yoghurt with lemon and salt, for vegetables or flatbread.
• Pesto butter: soft butter mashed with pesto, for corn on the cob, warm bread or a baked potato.

Keeping an open jar

Follow the storage instructions on the label once it is open. A thin layer of olive oil smoothed over the top before the lid goes back on helps the surface stay green.