Why it works: Tomato and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,711 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Also mentioned in the method: bread
Directions
Make the base
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the garlic and onion for about 3 minutes, until softened.
Add the chilli flakes or powder and the tomatoes, and cook for a couple of minutes.
If you don't want chilli, swap the spice for 1 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs instead.
Simmer the soup
Pour in the stock and add the tomato purée, mixed beans and sweetcorn (drained if tinned, or sliced off the cob if fresh).
Stir everything to mix well.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finish and serve
Add the coriander or parsley (if using) and season with some pepper.
Ladle into warm bowls and serve at once with a wholemeal roll or slice of bread.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Tomato + beanstop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,711 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Garlic + tomatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Garlic + parsleytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together9,294 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main body, acidity and sweetness that form the soup's base.
- Mixed beans
- Add substance, soft texture and protein-rich bulk to make the soup filling.
- Tomato purée
- Adds concentrated tomato flavour, depth and a richer colour to the broth.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens as it cooks, forming the aromatic base of the soup.
- Vegetable stock
- Supplies the liquid that carries flavour and gives the soup its body.
- Sweetcorn
- Adds natural sweetness and a pop of texture to balance the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Gently cooking the garlic and onion. Cooking over low, gentle heat softens the onion and sweetens it without browning. Scorched garlic turns bitter and can spoil the whole pan of soup.
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
The recipe marks parsley as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, onion, tomato, beans, sweetcorn, pepper):
- Cuminbetter flavor fit
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Basilbetter flavor fit
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, onion, tomato, beans, sweetcorn, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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