Name: Low-calorie Tomato Dressing
Ingredients: 1/2 tsp dry mustard; 1 tsp water; 1/2 cup tomato juice; 3 tbsp oil; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 dash black pepper; 1 tbsp chopped green onion; 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Low-calorie Tomato Dressing

Ingredients

Directions

Make the dressing

Blend mustard with water in a bowl and let stand 5 minutes.
Add tomato juice, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, green onion and Worcestershire sauce and beat well.

Store and serve

Store in a covered jar and chill.
Shake well before using.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

215Calories

4 gProtein

14 gFat

21 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Green Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	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.

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.

Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together27,047 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,259 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,430 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Dry mustard: Adds sharp flavour and helps emulsify the oil into the dressing.
Oil: Provides fat for a smooth, rich mouthfeel and carries flavour.
Tomato juice: Supplies the tomato base, liquid volume and mild acidity.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the oil.

The step that matters

Blend mustard with water and let stand. Dry mustard needs time in liquid to release its pungent compounds fully. Skipping the rest leaves the dressing flat and harsh in flavour.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mustard, tomato, pepper, onion, sauce):

Avocadofits better
Limefits better
Mangofits about as well
Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mustard, tomato, pepper, onion, sauce. 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.

Tomato Salad179 recipes

Chicken Salad623 recipes

Salad Dressing491 recipes

Cold Slaw160 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Low-calorie Tomato Dressing