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Salad

Fresh Basil Tortellini Salad

A cold salad of cheese‑filled tortellini tossed with basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parmesan, pepper, green onion, and carrot.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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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 ↓

Fresh Basil Tortellini Salad

Timeat least 2 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the tortellini

  1. Cook tortellini as directed on package. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine and chill

  1. Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add tortellini and toss until well combined.

  2. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Serve

  1. Toss again before serving with additional parmesan cheese.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

386Calories
18 gProtein
26 gFat
19 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1

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

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Cheese + parmesan cheesetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,041 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Olive + parmesan cheesetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Cheese-filled egg tortellini
Forms the bulk of the salad and provides the substance of the dish.
Olive oil or vegetable oil
Carries the flavors and gives the dressing its fat and smooth coating.
Balsamic vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
Fresh basil
Contributes the herbal aroma that defines the salad.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory, salty depth to the dressing and the finished salad.

The step that matters

Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Chilling lets the pasta absorb the oil and vinegar dressing so the flavors meld. Tossing again before serving redistributes the dressing that has settled to the bottom of the bowl.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cheese, egg, olive, vinegar, basil, parmesan cheese, pepper):

  1. Tomatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

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

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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