Name: Green Beans Italian-style
Ingredients: 2 tsp. olive oil; 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium-sized red onion, quartered and thinly sliced; 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, cut into 3-inch strips; 3 oz. vegetarian Canadian bacon, diced; 2 lbs. fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces; 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced; 2 plum tomatoes, diced; 3 Tbs. vegan soy Parmesan cheese; 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil; 1 tsp. dried marjoram

Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

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.

Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Garlic + mushroomtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,700 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Olive + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,571 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Green beans: Form the main bulk of the dish and become tender while cooking.
Cremini mushrooms: Release moisture and brown, adding savory depth to the vegetables.
Red onion: Softens and adds sweetness and savory aroma to the base.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows as it cooks in the oil.
Plum tomatoes: Add moisture and gentle acidity that helps form a light sauce.
Vegan soy parmesan cheese: Adds salty, savory flavor that finishes the dish.

The step that matters

Cook the green beans 10 minutes with the vegetables. Green beans need enough time over medium-high heat to lose their raw bite and turn tender. Stirring keeps them from scorching on the bottom of the pan while the mushrooms release moisture.

Swap the green beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, clove, garlic, onion, mushroom, plum):

Tomatofits better
Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits better
Green beansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, clove, garlic, onion, mushroom, plum. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Green Beans	1 cup (100g)	31
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Marjoram	not in our table	0

Green Beans Italian-style