Name: Soy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients: 1 Tbs. vegetable oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced; 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 1/2 tsp. dried oregano; 1 small zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick; 1 1/2 cups cooked black soybeans (if canned, rinsed and drained); 1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped; 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice; 4 Tbs. shredded Jack cheese; 4 tsp. chopped cilantro (optional); 2 cups yellow corn tortilla chips; Hot sauce for garnish (optional)

Why it works: Onion and garlic 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.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Oregano + tomatotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,767 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Oregano + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together291 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Black soybeans: Provide the main protein and body, staying firm and hearty in the broth.
Jack cheese: Melts over the hot soup, adding richness and fat.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavors of the soup.
Tomatoes: Add acidity, sweetness and body to the broth.
Zucchini: Adds tender texture and moisture as it softens in the broth.
Onion: Builds a sweet, savory base as it softens in the oil.

The step that matters

Cook the zucchini until almost soft, not fully broken down. Zucchini holds a lot of water and turns mushy quickly. Stopping when it is almost tender keeps its shape and texture, since it keeps cooking in the hot broth after you remove the pan from the heat.

Swap the soybean

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, clove, garlic, oregano, tomato, lime):

Chickpeafits better
Beansfits better
Black-eyed peafits better
Soybeanthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, clove, garlic, oregano, tomato, lime. 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
Corn Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
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
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Soybean	not in our table	0

Soy Tortilla Soup