Why it works: Oregano and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Wheat-free Pizza Rice Pie
Ingredients
Directions
Make the crust
Mix together rice, onion, eggs, and melted butter.
Line a 12‑inch pizza pan with rice mixture.
Bake 12 minutes at 350°F, or until set.
Top and bake
Spread tomato sauce over rice crust.
Sprinkle with oregano, basil, and cheese.
Add toppings and olives.
Bake at 350°F for 20‑25 minutes.
Allow to stand a few minutes before serving.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Pizza | not in our table | 0 |
| Topping | 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.
-
Oregano + basiltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,390 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,979 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,767 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Rice + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,065 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 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
- Cooked rice
- Forms the base structure of the crust when bound with egg.
- Eggs
- Bind the rice together and set on baking to hold the crust's shape.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for flavour and helps the crust brown slightly.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts over the toppings to add richness and a stretchy, browned surface.
- Tomato sauce
- Adds moisture and acidity that flavour the pizza.
The step that matters
Bake the crust until set before topping. Eggs set as they heat, so the rice crust must firm up fully first. If it is underbaked, the sauce and toppings will soak in and the crust will fall apart when sliced.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, egg, butter, tomato, sauce, oregano, basil):
- Capsicumfits better
- Eggplantfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, egg, butter, tomato, sauce, oregano, basil. 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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