Name: Springtime Rice
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 bunch asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 portabello mushrooms, cut into small strips; 1 red bell pepper, chopped; 3 cups cooked rice; 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

Why it works: Olive and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Springtime Rice

Time5 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 portabello mushrooms, cut into small strips
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot.
Add garlic, asparagus, mushrooms and pepper; cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Add rice and cheese, then stir until well blended and heat thoroughly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

515Calories

18 gProtein

24 gFat

60 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Asparagus	6 spears (90g)	27
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4

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.

Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Asparagus + ricetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together261 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Olive + ricetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,994 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Garlic + mushroomtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,700 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Olive oil: Carries heat evenly and helps the vegetables sauté rather than steam.
Asparagus: Provides the main vegetable bulk and tender texture once cooked through.
Portabello mushrooms: Add savory, meaty body and release moisture that browns as it cooks.
Cooked rice: Forms the base of the dish and absorbs flavor from the oil and vegetables.
Asiago cheese: Melts into the warm rice, adding salty, nutty flavor and creaminess.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, garlic, asparagus, mushroom, pepper, rice, cheese):

Thymefits better
Basilfits better
Parsleyfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, garlic, asparagus, mushroom, pepper, rice, cheese. 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.