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Pesto Rice

Rice mixed with basil, walnut, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper, tomato, and pesto.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Basil and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,823 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Pesto Rice

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pesto

  1. Combine basil, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in blender.

  2. Blend until smooth.

Assemble and serve

  1. Combine pesto with tomato and rice; chill.

  2. Serve with grilled chicken breasts.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

513Calories
17 gProtein
25 gFat
59 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Walnut1 walnut half (4g)26
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)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.

  1. Basil + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,823 recipes

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

  2. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Basil + olivetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

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

  5. Basil + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,805 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Basil
Provides the main herbal aroma and flavor of the pesto.
Walnuts
Add body and a rich, nutty texture to the blended pesto.
Olive oil
Carries the flavors and gives the pesto a smooth, silky texture.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory, salty depth and helps thicken the pesto.
Cooked rice
Forms the bulk of the dish and absorbs the pesto's flavor and oil.
Chopped tomato
Adds moisture and fresh, slightly acidic brightness.

The step that matters

Blend until smooth. Blending the pesto fully breaks the herbs and nuts into fine particles and emulsifies the oil, so the sauce coats the rice evenly instead of leaving gritty or oily patches.

Swap the walnut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (basil, olive, garlic, clove, parmesan cheese, lemon, pepper):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Beansfits better
  3. Lentilsfits about as well
  4. Walnutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against basil, olive, garlic, clove, parmesan cheese, lemon, pepper. 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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