Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Macaroni with Tomatoes
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Cook the macaroni
In a pot, combine 1 pint of beef soup or water and bring to a boil.
Add ½ lb of macaroni and a pinch of coarse sea salt; cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed.
Transfer the macaroni to an earthen pie plate.
Assemble and bake
Pour over the strained tomato sauce, seasoned with salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of butter.
Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top.
Cover with 1 cup of grated cheese and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until browned.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + cheesetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,896 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Macaroni
- Forms the starchy base that holds the sauce and bakes into a sturdy, sliceable body.
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main sauce, adding moisture and acidity that balances the cheese and butter.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richer flavor and a smoother mouthfeel in the sauce.
- Grated cheese
- Melts and browns on top, adding savory flavor and a golden crust.
The step that matters
Cook the macaroni until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Stopping while some liquid remains keeps the pasta from turning mushy, since it will keep absorbing moisture from the tomato sauce and continue softening in the oven.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, butter, cheese):
- Potatofits about as well
- Tomatothe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Onionfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, butter, cheese. 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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