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 ↓
Mpt
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the topping
Roughly chop the mozzarella and tomatoes and put them in a big salad bowl.
Tear up the basil and sprinkle it over the mozzarella and tomatoes.
Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, at least 3 tablespoons, over the mixture.
Add salt and a little black pepper; the salt will leach moisture and create a sauce.
Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Cook and serve
Boil the egg pasta until al dente, then drain.
Add the hot pasta to the bowl, toss well until coated, and 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).
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Basil + pastatop 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
- Mozzarella
- Melts slightly with the hot pasta, adding creamy richness and body to the dressing.
- Tomatoes
- Release their juices with salt, creating a light sauce that moistens the pasta.
- Basil leaves
- Adds a fresh, aromatic herbal note that balances the rich cheese.
- Olive oil
- Carries flavor and adds fat, giving the sauce a smooth, glossy coating.
- Fresh egg pasta
- Provides a tender, chewy base that absorbs the sauce and juices.
The step that matters
Letting the mixture rest before adding the pasta. Salt draws water out of the tomatoes through osmosis, and the juices mix with the oil to form the sauce. Resting lets this happen before the pasta goes in, so the dish is saucy rather than watery or dry.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (buffalo, basil, olive, pepper, egg, pasta):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Tomatothe original
- Eggplantfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against buffalo, basil, olive, pepper, egg, pasta. 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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