Tomato + Provolone cheese
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 130 recipes, and they share 70 flavor molecules: the top 16% of all ingredient pairs.
Do tomato and provolone cheese go together?
Yes. 130 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 70 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 16% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of provolone cheese's flavor molecules (70 of 122) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel) and isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
What each one brings
tomato
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 1% for provolone cheese. It carries 440 molecules provolone cheese doesn't have.
provolone cheese
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 15% for tomato. It carries 52 molecules tomato doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Mozzarella cheese: the best fit for both, top 8% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with provolone cheese.
- Parmesan cheese: top 9% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with provolone cheese.
- Romano cheese: top 16% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with provolone cheese.
- Goat cheese: top 12% of pairs with tomato, top 1% with provolone cheese.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with tomato and provolone cheese
Almost always mains: 15 of the 17 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: tomato has 440 molecules provolone cheese doesn't, and provolone cheese has 52 that tomato doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 70 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 440 only in tomato and the 52 only in provolone cheese.
Tomato and provolone cheese questions
Do tomato and provolone cheese go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 130 recipes, and they share 70 flavor molecules: the top 16% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do tomato and provolone cheese taste good together?
More than half of provolone cheese's flavor molecules (70 of 122) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel) and isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
What goes with tomato and provolone cheese?
Mozzarella cheese is the best third ingredient: top 8% of pairs with tomato and top 1% with provolone cheese. Parmesan cheese and romano cheese also fit both.
What can you make with tomato and provolone cheese?
Almost always mains: 15 of the 17 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Antipasto Salad with Dressing, Braciola, Brunch Recipe - A Meal in One Dish, Catfish Muffuletta.
Can I use provolone cheese instead of tomato?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: tomato has 440 molecules provolone cheese doesn't, and provolone cheese has 52 that tomato doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Tomato vs Provolone Cheese. https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-provolone-cheese. Accessed 2026-11-05.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_tomato_vs_provolone_cheese_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Tomato vs Provolone Cheese},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-provolone-cheese},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-05}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.