Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the tomato sauce
Pass tomatoes through a food mill into a large bowl.
Alternatively, place tomatoes in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat.
Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
Stir in crushed tomatoes and sugar and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Cook the rice and mushrooms
Meanwhile, bring broth to a simmer over high heat in a large saucepan.
Add rice, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes.
Stir almost constantly during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Transfer the rice mixture to a large bowl.
Pulse mushrooms in batches in a food processor until finely chopped.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the mushroom mixture to the bowl with rice and let cool.
Shape and bake the meatballs
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Add egg, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper to the cooled rice mixture and mix well.
Form the mixture into about 24 oval-shaped nuggets, each about 2 by 1½ inches.
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a clean large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; tilt to coat bottom.
Add half the nuggets and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.
Turn the nuggets over onto the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining nuggets.
Bake until the nuggets are browned and firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
Place 3 nuggets on each plate, spoon sauce on top, and serve hot.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 15 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 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.
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.
-
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,767 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
-
Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,756 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the bulk of the sauce and provide its body and acidity.
- Arborio rice
- Releases starch as it cooks, making the rice mixture creamy and helping bind the nuggets.
- Cremini or baby bella mushrooms
- Add savory depth and moisture, which is cooked off so the nuggets hold together.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the nuggets hold their shape.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and add structure to the nugget mixture.
- Parmesan cheese
- Adds savory, salty flavor and helps browning on the nuggets.
The step that matters
Cook the mushrooms until most liquid evaporates. Mushrooms release a lot of water. If it is not cooked off, the mixture stays wet, the nuggets lose their shape and they brown poorly.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, olive, garlic, oregano, pepper, sugar, rice):
- Cuminfits better
- Basilfits better
- Corianderfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, olive, garlic, oregano, pepper, sugar, rice. 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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