Why it works: Parsley and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 669 recipes. Both carry p-mentha-1,3,8-triene, which smells camphor, herbal. The science ↓
Green Beans with Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the beans
Clean the beans, wash and put them in hot water. After a few minutes of boiling, drain.
Make the sauce
Fry the finely chopped onion in oil with the flour, then add a little of the liquid in which the beans boiled.
Add the tomato sauce made from 1 lb/500 g tomatoes or the peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley and dill, sugar, salt, and the well‑drained beans.
Bake and serve
Let boil for a few minutes and then bake until the liquid is reduced.
It can be served hot or cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 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.
-
Parsley + dilltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together669 recipes
Shared aroma: p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (camphor, herbal).
-
Green beans + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together113 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + dilltop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together511 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + parsleytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,398 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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 body of the dish and absorb the sauce as they cook.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the sauce base, adding acidity, moisture and savoury flavour.
- Onion
- Builds a savoury aromatic base when fried in oil.
- Oil
- Carries flavour from the onion and helps the dish feel rich.
- Flour
- Thickens the cooking liquid, helping the sauce cling to the beans.
The step that matters
Bake until the liquid is reduced. Baking evaporates excess water so the sauce thickens and concentrates. Stopping too early leaves the dish watery, while over-reducing can dry the beans out.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (green beans, tomato, parsley, dill, sugar, flour):
- Carrotfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against green beans, tomato, parsley, dill, sugar, flour. 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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Green Peas229 recipes
Green Pea Soup181 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.