Name: All-American Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients: 1 envelope Lipton Cream of mushroom Cup-a-Soup; ½ cup boiling water; ¼ to ⅓ cup shredded American cheese or use 2 to 3 slices American cheese

Why it works: Mushroom and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,015 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓

All-American Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

1 envelope Lipton Cream of mushroom Cup-a-Soup
½ cup boiling water
¼ to ⅓ cup shredded American cheese or use 2 to 3 slices American cheese

Directions

In a small bowl, blend all ingredients.
Serve over hot cooked noodles or pasta or hot cooked vegetables.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

179Calories

10 gProtein

15 gFat

3 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
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Water	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.

Mushroom + cheesetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,015 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Cream + cheesetop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,655 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cream + mushroomtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,500 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

Lipton cream of mushroom cup-a-soup: Provides the main mushroom and savory flavor base, plus thickening from the dried soup mix.
American cheese: Melts into the sauce, adding creaminess, body and a mild salty richness.

“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.