Name: Baked Ratatouille
Ingredients: 2 yellow squash cut in thin rounds; 3 zucchini cut in thin rounds; 5 small tomatoes cut in thin rounds; 2 medium tomatoes; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon fresh basil; 2 tablespoons dill; 3 tablespoons parsley; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon salt

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).
Dill + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together669 recipes

Shared aroma: p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (camphor, herbal).
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,351 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

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

What each ingredient does

Zucchini: Forms the bulk of the layers and softens into a tender, moist texture as it bakes.
Yellow squash: Adds bulk and moisture to the layers, softening as it cooks.
Tomatoes: Provide moisture and acidity that combine into the sauce that bastes the vegetables.
Tomato paste: Concentrates tomato flavor and thickens the sauce.
Olive oil: Carries flavor from the herbs and garlic and adds richness to the sauce.
Garlic: Adds aroma and pungency that mellow during baking.

The step that matters

Covering and baking the layers. Covering with foil traps steam so the thin vegetable slices cook through and soften evenly. Uncovered, the surface can dry out before the layers become tender, so the foil should stay on for the full bake.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, olive, garlic, basil, dill, parsley, oregano):

Thymefits better
Cuminfits better
Rosemaryfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, olive, garlic, basil, dill, parsley, oregano. 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pumpkin	not in our table	0

Baked Ratatouille