Name: Ultimate Veggie Chili
Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, chopped; 1 red bell pepper, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon each chipotle chili powder & crushed red pepper flakes; 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, frozen & thawed, excess water squeezed out*; 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes; 1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapenos, drained; 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles, drained; 2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed; 1 (14-ounce) can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 cup fresh or frozen corn; 1 cup whole roasted cashews,; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Cumin + tomatotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,272 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

Extra-firm tofu: Provides protein-rich body that holds its crumbled texture and absorbs the chili's flavors.
Black beans: Add starchy body and creaminess that thickens the chili as it simmers.
Kidney beans: Contribute firm texture and substance that holds shape through the long simmer.
Crushed tomatoes: Form the liquid base and acidity that meld with the spices during simmering.
Yellow onion: Builds sweetness and savory depth as it softens and browns in the oil.

The step that matters

Simmering on low for 1 hour. Low, gentle heat lets the tomatoes and spices blend and the beans soften without scorching the bottom of the pot. Stirring occasionally prevents sticking and uneven thickening.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, garlic, olive, cumin, tofu, tomato):

Oreganofits better
Turmericfits better
Corianderfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, garlic, olive, cumin, tofu, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Cashew	1 oz (28g / ~18 nuts)	157
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Kidney Bean	1/2 cup canned (128g) drained	112
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Jalapeno	1 pepper (14g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Ultimate Veggie Chili