Cold Spaghetti Salad

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. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,539 recipes

   Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

2. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together34,122 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

3. Tomato + cucumbertop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,405 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

4. Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,649 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

5. Cucumber + olivetop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together3,611 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).

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

What each ingredient does

Spaghetti or fettuccine

Provides the bulk and chewy base that holds the other salad ingredients.

Extra virgin olive oil

Supplies fat that carries flavor and gives the dressing a smooth body.

Tomatoes

Add moisture and fresh acidity that help make the salad juicy.

Black olives

Contribute salty, savory richness that balances the lemon and wine.

Tofu feta

Adds creamy, salty crumbles that give the salad a tangy, savory note.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, cucumber, pepper, olive, parsley, tofu, sugar):

1. Capsicumfits better
2. Eggplantfits better
3. Lettucefits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, cucumber, pepper, olive, parsley, tofu, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.