Why it works: Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Tofu Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Drain tofu and pat dry.
Mix tofu, green and red pepper, water, tomato paste, onion and spaghetti sauce mix.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on bottom of pie shell.
Spread 1/2 of tofu mixture in pie shell.
Sprinkle 1/2 mozzarella, then another layer of tofu mixture and mozzarella again.
Bake until cheese melts and pie crust is brown, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 10 ingredients. The other 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Tofu | 100g firm | 76 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Pie Crust | 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.
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.
-
Parmesan cheese + mozzarella cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + mozzarella cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,577 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tofu + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together729 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tofu
- Forms the body of the filling and gives it a soft, sliceable texture.
- Tomato paste
- Adds concentrated tomato flavor and thickens the filling.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts into a stretchy layer that binds the pie together.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds salty, savory flavor and browning to the crust base.
The step that matters
Drain and pat the tofu dry. Excess water in tofu dilutes the sauce and makes the filling loose and watery, so drying it helps the layers hold together when baked.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, pepper, tomato, sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Eggplantfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, pepper, tomato, sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella 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.
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