Name: Penne with Lemon and Root Vegetables
Yield: Makes 4 main-course servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 5 cups 2 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch sticks peeled assorted root vegetables (such as parsnips, carrots, celery root, and golden beets); 2 large garlic cloves, peeled; 2 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces, plus 6 tablespoons chopped celery leaves, divided; 8 ounces penne rigate or whole grain penne; 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel; 1/4 teaspoon (scant) ground nutmeg

Why it works: Parsnip and carrot match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,097 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓

Penne with Lemon and Root Vegetables

Makes 4 main-course servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups 2 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch sticks peeled assorted root vegetables (such as parsnips, carrots, celery root, and golden beets)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces, plus 6 tablespoons chopped celery leaves, divided
8 ounces penne rigate or whole grain penne
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon (scant) ground nutmeg

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

384Calories

14 gProtein

22 gFat

36 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Parsnip	1/2 cup (78g)	55
Beet	1/2 cup (85g)	35
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Celery Stalks	1 stalk (40g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Root Vegetables	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Parsnip + carrottop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,097 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,173 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Parsnip + celerytop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together561 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Celery + lemontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,467 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, parsnip, carrot, celery, garlic, clove, parmesan cheese):

Limefits about as well
Lemonthe original
Cherryfits about as well
Plumfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, parsnip, carrot, celery, garlic, clove, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.