Why it works: Tomato and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,719 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Cheese Lasagna
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Combine tomato sauce and chopped onions, peppers and mushrooms.
Mix in separate bowl cottage cheese, eggs and parmesan cheese.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Assemble and bake
In a 8" x 8" casserole, layer half the noodles, the cottage cheese mixture and grated mozzarella cheese.
Top with tomato sauce mix and the rest of the noodles.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1/2 cup (113g) 2% | 98 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Wheat | not in our table | 0 |
| Lasagna | 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.
-
Tomato + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,719 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Wheat + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together468 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Wheat + mushroomtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together124 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lasagna noodles
- Provide the structure that holds the layers together as the dish sets.
- Cottage cheese
- Adds moisture and a creamy, soft texture to the filling.
- Eggs
- Bind the cottage cheese filling so it sets firm when baked.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts into the layers and browns on top, adding stretch and richness.
- Tomato sauce
- Adds moisture and acidity that keep the layers from drying out.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savory flavor and helps the top brown as it bakes.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (wheat, cottage cheese, tomato, sauce, pepper, mushroom, egg):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against wheat, cottage cheese, tomato, sauce, pepper, mushroom, egg. 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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