Name: Smoked Sausage-stuffed Pasta Shells
Ingredients: ¾ lb smoked sausage chopped; 30 – 36 jumbo macaroni shells; 1 lb ricotta cheese; 1 egg beaten; 6 oz shredded mozzarella; ½ cup chopped parsley; ¼ cup Parmesan cheese; ½ tsp basil; ½ tsp oregano; 1 jar spaghetti sauce; ⅓ cup water

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).
Parsley + basiltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,351 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Parsley + oreganotop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,184 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Parmesan cheese + basiltop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together1,599 recipes

Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
Ricotta cheese + oreganotop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

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

What each ingredient does

Ricotta cheese: Creates a creamy, moist filling that sets softly when baked.
Egg: Binds the cheese filling so it holds its shape in the shells.
Mozzarella: Melts into stretchy, browned cheese that holds the filling together.
Parmesan cheese: Adds savory, salty depth and helps the top brown.
Smoked sausage: Provides smoky, meaty flavor and fat that seasons the filling.
Spaghetti sauce: Supplies moisture and acidity that keeps the shells tender while baking.

The step that matters

Fill shells with sausage‑cheese mixture and place in pan.. Overfilled or loosely packed shells can split or spill while baking, and a tight, even fill keeps the filling moist and evenly set.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, sauce):

Marjoramfits about as well
Parsleythe original
Rosemaryfits about as well
Thymefits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, sauce. 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
Smoked Sausage	100g cooked	301
Ricotta Cheese	1/2 cup (124g) part-skim	174
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Mozzarella Cheese	1 oz (28g)	85
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Macaroni	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Smoked Sausage-stuffed Pasta Shells