Why it works: Mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 271 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Tomato Pizza
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble
Place tomato slices in a circle on the crust, overlapping slightly until the crust is completely covered.
Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with olives if desired, green pepper and onion. Sprinkle with basil.
Bake and serve
Cover with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Pizza | 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.
-
Mozzarella cheese + cheddar cheesetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together271 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,979 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,294 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main fresh, juicy topping that releases moisture as the pizza bakes.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat and richness to the tomatoes and helps the toppings taste rounded.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts into a stretchy layer that binds the toppings to the crust.
- Cheddar cheese
- Adds sharper flavor and extra melt, helping the cheese layer brown lightly.
The step that matters
Bake until the cheese is just melted. Baking at 400°F for 15 minutes is enough to melt the cheese, while a longer bake can dry the tomatoes and toughen the crust edges.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, olive, pepper, basil, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese):
- Capsicumfits better
- Eggplantfits better
- Potatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, olive, pepper, basil, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese. 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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