Name: Potato Gnocchi with Basil and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients: 500 g potato gnocchi; 30 g fresh basil; 1–2 cloves garlic , minced; 3–5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil; 2 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes; 30 g pine nuts

Why it works: Basil and pine match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 332 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Potato Gnocchi with Basil and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Time2 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Prepare the gnocchi as per the package instructions, and drain.
Finely dice the sun-dried tomatoes.

Cook and serve

Add the sun-dried tomato oil to a pan and heat.
Fry the minced garlic in the oil for 2 minutes.
Add the diced sun-dried tomatoes, gnocchi, and fresh basil, and stir until the basil has wilted.
Add the pine nuts, toss, and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

498Calories

10 gProtein

33 gFat

47 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pine Nut	1 oz (28g)	191
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Basil + pinetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together332 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Basil + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Basil + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,805 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Potato + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,517 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Potato gnocchi: Forms the main body of the dish, providing a soft, tender bite.
Sun-dried tomatoes: Add concentrated, tangy tomato flavour and a chewy texture.
Garlic: Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens as it fries in oil.
Pine nuts: Add buttery richness and a toasted crunch to the finished dish.

Swap the nuts

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, basil, clove, garlic, tomato, pine):

Chickpeafits better
Beansfits better
Lentilsfits better
Nutsthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, basil, clove, garlic, tomato, pine. 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.