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Bulgur Spagetti Sauce

A tomato sauce with bulgur, onions, garlic, and herbs, served over pasta or spaghetti squash.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Bulgur Spagetti Sauce

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the sauce

  1. Saute onion and garlic in a 3‑quart pan.

  2. Stir in tomatoes, sauce, and spices.

  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Finish and serve

  1. Discard bay leaf, stir in bulgur, and serve over pasta or spaghetti squash.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

133Calories
3 gProtein
1 gFat
32 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0
Bulgurnot in our table0

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. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,767 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  3. Parsley + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,184 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Bulgur
Adds body and a chewy texture, thickening the sauce as it absorbs liquid.
Chopped peeled tomatoes
Provide the main liquid and acidity that form the base of the sauce.
Tomato sauce
Adds more liquid and concentrated tomato flavor, giving the sauce a smoother body.
Onion
Softens and sweetens as it sautés, building a savory base.
Garlic
Contributes aroma and savory depth once sautéed.

The step that matters

Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Simmering uncovered lets excess water evaporate, concentrating the tomato flavor and thickening the sauce. Covering the pan would keep it thin and dilute.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, garlic, tomato, sauce, parsley, oregano, sugar):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Basilfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, garlic, tomato, sauce, parsley, oregano, sugar. 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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