Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Fresh Pasta with Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the topping
Chop the mozzarella and tomatoes roughly into small cubes (about 1 cm to 1 inch) and place them in a large dish.
Tear the basil leaves and sprinkle them over the mozzarella and tomatoes.
Drizzle at least 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture.
Add a good amount of salt and a little black pepper.
Cook and serve
Boil the fresh egg pasta until al dente.
Drain the pasta and pour it, still hot, over the other ingredients.
Stir the pasta to coat everything well.
Serve.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pasta | 1 cup cooked (140g) | 220 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Buffalo | 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.
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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).
-
Basil + olivetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,063 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Basil + peppertop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,294 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Pasta + basiltop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together853 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh egg pasta
- Forms the body of the dish and absorbs the oil and juices from the topping.
- Mozzarella
- Adds soft, milky creaminess that softens slightly when tossed with the hot pasta.
- Tomatoes
- Contribute juiciness and fresh acidity that moisten and brighten the pasta.
- Basil leaves
- Adds a fresh, aromatic herbal note.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Provides fat that carries flavour and coats the pasta and topping.
The step that matters
Drain the pasta and add it while still hot. Hot pasta softens and slightly melts the mozzarella and lets the oil and tomato juices be absorbed, so the dish coats evenly. Cold pasta would leave the cheese firm and the topping separate.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, pasta, buffalo, basil, olive, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Tomatothe original
- Eggplantfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, pasta, buffalo, basil, olive, 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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