Name: Back on the Commune Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients: Tofu and Spinach Mixture; 9 Lasagna Noodles Cooked According to Box Instructions; 1 Box Frozen Chopped Spinach (Thawed); 1 Pkg Firm Tofu; 1 Box Soft Silken Style Tofu; 1 Large Onion Chopped; 1 Tsp Basil; 1 Tsp Oregano; 1 Tsp Thyme; 1 1/2 Tsp Salt; Fresh Ground Black Pepper; 2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed); 2 Tsp Whole Grain Dijon Mustard; White Sauce; 4 Tbsp Vegan Margarine*; 4 Tbsp Flour; 1 Tsp Mustard Powder; 1/4 Tsp Salt; 3 Cups Soy Milk

Why it works: Basil and oregano 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 ↓

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.

Basil + oreganotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,390 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Oregano + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together791 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Basil + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,768 recipes

Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
Thyme + clovetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,108 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Thyme + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,585 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

Firm tofu: Crumbled to form the ricotta-like body of the filling.
Soft silken tofu: Adds creaminess and moisture to the filling, binding it to a ricotta-like texture.
Frozen chopped spinach: Provides the main filling vegetable and moisture, which is why it is cooled before mixing.
Soy milk: Forms the base of the white sauce, thickening with flour into a smooth binding sauce.
Flour: Thickens the melted margarine and soy milk into a smooth white sauce.
Vegan margarine: Adds fat and richness to the white sauce and helps form its roux.

The step that matters

Add soy milk and keep whisking until the sauce thickens. Flour starch only thickens fully when it is whisked into the hot fat and liquid as it heats; stopping early leaves a thin sauce, and lumps form if liquid is added too fast.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, spinach, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, clove):

Eggplantfits better
Carrotfits better
Capsicumfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, spinach, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, clove. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Soy Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Spinach	1 cup raw (30g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Lasagna	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0

Back on the Commune Spinach Lasagna