Common Ingredients in spaghetti Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular spaghetti recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in spaghetti dishes is garlic.

Olive oil, spaghetti, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, onion, butter, eggs and parsley are also common ingredients in spaghetti recipes. For herbs and spices, basil is popular. Variations include:

• eggs in place of butter

Salt is in 85% of spaghetti recipes and pepper, 60%.

The average spaghetti recipe has about 10.8 ingredients, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 23.

In terms of directions, spaghetti recipes have about 5.2 steps on average, ranging from 2 to 20 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Spaghetti

For a quarter cup olive oil (54 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single spaghetti recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with olive oil	Potential subsitutions
garlic	4 clove (12 g)	4.6 clove (14 g)	94%
spaghetti	1 pound (454 g)	1.4 pound (613 g)	69%
parsley	half a cup (30 g)	0.42 cup (25 g)	38%
pepper	three quarters of a teaspoon (1 g)	0.62 teaspoon (1 g)	38%
eggs	3.6 (200 g)	5.9 (333 g)	31%	butter
basil	2.1 teaspoon (1 g)	1.9 teaspoon (1 g)	31%
butter	4 tablespoon (57 g)	7.3 tablespoon (104 g)	31%	eggs
tomatoes	28 ounce (794 g)	23.1 ounce (655 g)	25%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Spaghetti

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in spaghetti recipes. This would be: 40% spaghetti, 27% tomatoes, 8% olive oil, 6% eggs, 6% onion, 4% butter, 2% parmesan cheese, 2% parsley, 2% garlic and 1% lemon.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

salt

Salt is the most popular ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 85% of spaghetti recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon or 2 teaspoons.

In spaghetti recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For spaghetti recipes, salt is frequently used with olive oil, garlic, spaghetti, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

garlic

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is garlic. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 85% have garlic.

Spaghetti dishes often call for garlic to be minced, sliced, grated, chopped and smashed.

Garlic is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of 4 cloves, 2 cloves or 1 clove.

In spaghetti recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.9% by weight.

In recipes for spaghetti, garlic is often used with olive oil, salt, spaghetti, parmesan cheese and basil.

olive oil

Olive oil is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 80% of spaghetti recipes contain olive oil.

Common quantities for olive oil in spaghetti dishes include a quarter cup, 3 tablespoons or 2 tablespoons.

In spaghetti recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 5% by weight.

Garlic, salt, spaghetti, parmesan cheese and pepper are commonly used together with olive oil in spaghetti dishes.

spaghetti

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is spaghetti. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 65% have spaghetti.

Spaghetti is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of 1 pound or 12 ounces.

In spaghetti recipes that contain spaghetti, it is on average, 30% by weight.

For spaghetti recipes, spaghetti is frequently used with olive oil, salt, garlic, parmesan cheese and pepper.

pepper

Pepper is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 60% of spaghetti recipes contain pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 35% of recipes

In recipes for spaghetti, pepper is often used with spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, salt and parmesan cheese. On the other hand, pepper is almost never used with beef and butter.

black pepper

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is black pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 35% have black pepper.

Spaghetti dishes often call for black pepper to be ground.

Black pepper is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon.

In spaghetti recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0% by weight.

In recipes for spaghetti, black pepper is often used with salt, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese and parsley. On the other hand, black pepper is almost never used with butter and butter.

parmesan cheese

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is parmesan cheese. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 50% have parmesan cheese.

Grated is a frequent preparation for parmesan cheese in spaghetti dishes.

Common quantities for parmesan cheese in spaghetti dishes include 2 tablespoons.

In spaghetti recipes that contain parmesan cheese, it is on average, 2% by weight.

Olive oil, garlic, salt, spaghetti and eggs are commonly used together with parmesan cheese in spaghetti dishes.

tomatoes

Tomatoes is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 45% of spaghetti recipes contain tomatoes.

Peeled is a frequent preparation for tomatoes in spaghetti dishes.

Tomatoes is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of 28 ounces.

In spaghetti recipes that contain tomatoes, it is on average, 29% by weight.

For spaghetti recipes, tomatoes is frequently used with garlic, salt, onion, olive oil and basil. However, butter is almost never used together with tomatoes in spaghetti dishes.

basil

Basil is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 35% of spaghetti recipes contain basil.

Dried is a frequent preparation for basil in spaghetti dishes.

Common quantities for basil in spaghetti dishes include 2 teaspoons.

In spaghetti recipes that contain basil, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

Garlic, olive oil, salt, tomatoes and parmesan cheese are commonly used together with basil in spaghetti dishes. Conversely, basil is not often used with lemon juice, butter and white wine.

onion

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is onion. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 35% have onion.

Chopped is a frequent preparation for onion in spaghetti dishes.

Onion is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of 1 onion.

In spaghetti recipes that contain onion, it is on average, 8% by weight.

For spaghetti recipes, onion is frequently used with garlic, salt, tomatoes, spaghetti and basil. However, nutmeg is almost never used together with onion in spaghetti dishes.

butter

Butter is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 35% of spaghetti recipes contain butter.

Butter is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of 3 tablespoons.

In spaghetti recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for spaghetti, butter is often used with spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Potential substitutions for butter in spaghetti:

• eggs

Also, butter is not often used with black pepper, beef, oregano, bread and nutmeg.

eggs

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is eggs. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 30% have eggs.

Common quantities for eggs in spaghetti dishes include 1 eggs or 2 larges.

In spaghetti recipes that contain eggs, it is on average, 10% by weight.

Salt, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley are commonly used together with eggs in spaghetti dishes.

Potential substitutions for eggs in spaghetti:

• butter

Also, eggs is not often used with lemon juice.

parsley

Parsley is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 30% of spaghetti recipes contain parsley.

Chopped is a frequent preparation for parsley in spaghetti dishes.

Parsley is often included in spaghetti dishes in amounts of a quarter cup.

In spaghetti recipes that contain parsley, it is on average, 3% by weight.

For spaghetti recipes, parsley is frequently used with olive oil, garlic, salt, tomatoes and spaghetti. However, butter is almost never used together with parsley in spaghetti dishes.

wine

Another popular ingredient in spaghetti is wine. From the recipes we've sampled for spaghetti, over 20% have wine.

Variations of wine include:

• white wine: 10% of recipes

In recipes for spaghetti, wine is often used with spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, salt and beef.

lemon

Lemon is another common ingredient in spaghetti dishes. In fact, over 20% of spaghetti recipes contain lemon.

Variations of lemon include:

• lemon juice: 10% of recipes

Spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt are commonly used together with lemon in spaghetti dishes.

Other spaghetti Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in spaghetti recipes include:

• beef - 20%
• oregano - 15%
• bread - 10%
• nutmeg - 10%

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