Lasagne with Bean Sauce

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.

1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,756 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

3. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together25,665 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

4. Oregano + clovetop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together556 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

5. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together17,451 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

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

What each ingredient does

Navy beans

Provide bulk and a creamy, hearty texture in the sauce layers.

Lasagna noodles

Form the structural layers that hold the sauce and cheese together.

Cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

Adds moisture and a soft, creamy texture between the noodle layers.

Mozzarella cheese

Melts into stretchy layers and browns on top during baking.

Tomato sauce

Supplies moisture and acidity that cooks the noodles and carries the flavour.

Parmesan cheese

Browns on the surface and adds a salty, savoury finish.

The step that matters

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, onion, beans, oregano, pepper, cottage cheese, garlic):

1. Cuminfits better
2. Thymefits better
3. Basilfits better
4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, onion, beans, oregano, pepper, cottage cheese, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.