Name: Marinated Asparagus Salad
Ingredients: 2 cups (about ½ pound) frozen asparagus pieces; 1 small red onion, thinly sliced; 2 tomatoes, chopped; ¼ cup (or more) bottled Italian salad dressing

Why it works: Asparagus and tomato work together. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 313 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Marinated Asparagus Salad

Timeovernight

Ingredients

2 cups (about ½ pound) frozen asparagus pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup (or more) bottled Italian salad dressing

Directions

Cook the asparagus

Cook asparagus in a small amount of boiling water until just tender, then drain well.

Marinate and serve

Combine asparagus with remaining ingredients, stirring gently.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Stir again before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

93Calories

5 gProtein

0 gFat

20 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 3 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Asparagus	6 spears (90g)	27
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Salad Dressing	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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Asparagus + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together313 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Asparagus + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,212 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Asparagus: Forms the tender main body of the salad once cooked.
Red onion: Adds sharp, pungent flavor that mellows during marinating.
Tomatoes: Contribute moisture and acidity to the marinade.
Italian salad dressing: Supplies acidity and oil that flavor the vegetables as they marinate.

The step that matters

Drain the asparagus well. Excess cooking water left on the asparagus dilutes the dressing and makes the salad watery, so the marinade cannot cling to the vegetables.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, tomato):

Okrafits better
Spinachfits better
Capsicumfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, tomato. 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.

Tomato Salad179 recipes

Chicken Salad623 recipes

Salad Dressing491 recipes

Cold Slaw160 recipes

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Marinated Asparagus Salad