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 ↓
Pizza Fresca
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble
Place the tortilla (one or more) on a cookie or pizza sheet.
Spread a thick layer of pizza or pasta sauce over the tortilla.
Arrange vegetables or fruit over sauce.
Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of cheese over vegetables or fruit.
Bake and serve
Bake in 350°F oven until cheese melts.
Cut into quarters and enjoy.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 13 of 16 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Pasta | 1 cup cooked (140g) | 220 |
| Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup chunks (165g) | 82 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Pizza | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 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).
-
Pasta + olivetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,227 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Flour + pastatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together659 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Pasta + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,622 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Mozzarella cheese + olivetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,773 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour tortillas
- Form a thin, crisp base that holds the toppings.
- Cheddar, jack or mozzarella cheese
- Melts into a stretchy layer that binds the toppings and browns on top.
- Pizza or pasta sauce
- Adds moisture and tangy flavor that keeps the tortilla from drying out.
The step that matters
Bake until the cheese melts. Baking only until the cheese melts keeps the tortilla from over-browning or drying out. Fresh vegetables or fruit release moisture as they heat, so spreading the sauce thickly enough without soaking the tortilla helps the base stay crisp.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, pasta, mozzarella cheese, pepper, onion, tomato, olive):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Cherryfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, pasta, mozzarella cheese, pepper, onion, tomato, olive. 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
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes
Tomato Bisque61 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.