Name: Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted; 1 small onion, minced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt); 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have); 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder; 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature; 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Why it works: Cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,041 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Warm Spinach Mascarpone Dip

Serves 8

Prep10 min

Cook30 min

Ingredients

16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

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

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

539Calories

21 gProtein

45 gFat

17 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Mascarpone	2 tbsp (28g)	120
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Spinach	1 cup raw (30g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

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

By steamykitchen. 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.

Cheese + parmesan cheesetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,041 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Spinach + nutmegtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together603 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Spinach + olivetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,971 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Spinach + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,400 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Pepper + nutmegtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together13,015 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, onion, olive, pepper, cheese, parmesan cheese):

Garlicfits better
Thymefits better
Basilfits better
Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, onion, olive, pepper, cheese, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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