Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,091 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and chopped onion, and cook, breaking up the meat, about 10 minutes until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F (71°C). Drain off the fat.
Spread the coleslaw mix evenly in a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish.
Scatter the uncooked white rice over the coleslaw mix, then spread the beef and onion mixture over the top.
In a bowl, stir the two cans of condensed tomato soup until smooth. Fill the empty soup can with water and stir that into the soup.
Pour the soup mixture evenly over the beef in the baking dish, pressing gently so the rice is covered.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for about 60 minutes, until the rice is tender and the cabbage is soft.
Let the casserole rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes before serving.
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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Beef + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,091 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Beef + tomatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,445 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Rice + tomatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,990 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
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Beef + ricetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,175 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Onion + tomatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together20,622 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
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, rice, tomato):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Carrotabout as good a flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, rice, tomato. 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).
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