Name: Sun-dried Tomato Spread
Ingredients: 1 cup fat-free cream cheese; ½ cup fat-free mayonnaise; 3 tbsp fat-free milk; ½ cup low-fat sour cream; ½ cup rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, sliced; 2 tsp minced chives; 1 tsp minced thyme; 2 tsp minced basil; salt and pepper, to taste

Why it works: Thyme and basil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,768 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

Sun-dried Tomato Spread

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spread

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth but thick.

Serve

Serve with crackers or raw vegetables of choice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

460Calories

35 gProtein

24 gFat

28 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	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.

Thyme + basiltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,768 recipes

Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Thyme + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,585 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,294 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Tomato + thymetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,370 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

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

What each ingredient does

Fat-free cream cheese: Provides the thick, creamy base that gives the spread its body.
Fat-free mayonnaise: Adds creaminess and moisture, helping the spread stay smooth and spreadable.
Low-fat sour cream: Adds tang and moisture, softening the texture of the cream cheese base.
Sun-dried tomatoes: Contribute concentrated tomato flavour, sweetness and a chewy texture.

The step that matters

Blending until smooth but thick. Over-blending a dairy-based spread can thin it out and make it loose, while under-blending leaves lumps of tomato and cream cheese. Blending just until smooth keeps the texture thick enough to hold on a cracker.

Swap the chive

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream cheese, milk, cream, tomato, thyme, basil, pepper):

Capsicumfits better
Potatofits better
Carrotfits about as well
Chivethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream cheese, milk, cream, tomato, thyme, basil, pepper. 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.

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Sun-dried Tomato Spread