Name: Five-vegetable Sauté with Mint
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut diagonally into inch slices; 1/2 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 cups broccoli florets; 2 cups sliced red cabbage; 1/3 cup vegetable broth; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint; salt and pepper

Why it works: Broccoli and cabbage match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 171 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Five-vegetable Sauté with Mint

Time8-10 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium carrot, peeled, cut diagonally into inch slices
1/2 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced red cabbage
1/3 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the vegetables

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook carrots, onions and bell pepper 5 minutes, until onion is softened.
Add broccoli and cabbage, cook 1 minute more.
Add broth; cook 8-10 minutes until broccoli is crisp-tender.

Finish

Stir in mint; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

280Calories

7 gProtein

15 gFat

34 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Peppermint	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.

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.

Broccoli + cabbagetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together171 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Pepper + cabbagetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,081 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Carrot + broccolitop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,442 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Onion + broccolitop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,294 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Canola oil: Conducts heat and helps the vegetables brown lightly in the pan.
Carrot: Adds firm texture and natural sweetness as it softens with cooking.
Broccoli florets: Turns crisp-tender while keeping a bright green color and some bite.
Red cabbage: Holds its shape and adds crunch while the broth steams it gently.
Vegetable broth: Adds moisture so the vegetables steam and cook through in the skillet.

The step that matters

Add broth; cook 8-10 minutes until broccoli is crisp-tender. Broccoli can turn olive-drab and mushy if it cooks too long. Checking it near the low end of the time keeps its color and bite, since it keeps cooking briefly after leaving the heat.

Swap the mint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (canola oil, carrot, onion, pepper, broccoli, cabbage):

Garlicfits better
Parsleyfits better
Celeryfits better
Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against canola oil, carrot, onion, pepper, broccoli, cabbage. 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.

Carrot Soup134 recipes

Red Cabbage65 recipes

Stewed Cabbage58 recipes

Baked Cabbage51 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.

Five-vegetable Sauté with Mint