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 ↓
Spaghetti Pizza
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.
Add spaghetti and toss to coat.
Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
Assemble and bake
Top with the beef, spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms and onion, then sprinkle with garlic salt.
Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheeses and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Rest and serve
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | 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.
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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + garlictop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,700 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mushroom + mozzarella cheesetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together439 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the milk and coat the spaghetti, helping the casserole set into a sliceable base.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts into a stretchy layer that binds the toppings and browns on top.
- Ground beef
- Adds savory, meaty flavor and substance to the pizza-style layers.
- Spaghetti sauce
- Supplies moisture and tomato acidity that flavor the spaghetti and keep it from drying out.
The step that matters
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Resting lets the melted cheese and egg-milk mixture firm up as they cool slightly, so slices hold their shape instead of collapsing and running.
“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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