Name: Baked Rice Milanaise
Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1/2 cup chopped green pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped; 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese, divided; Salt and ground black pepper to taste; 1/2 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed; 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

Why it works: Basil and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,979 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Baked Rice Milanaise

Oven350°F

Time20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups hot cooked rice
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

Directions

Prepare

Cook onion and green pepper in oil until tender but not browned.
Combine with rice, eggs, 1 cup cheese, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce.
Transfer into a buttered shallow 1-1/2-quart casserole.

Bake and serve

Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

620Calories

21 gProtein

29 gFat

68 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

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 Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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 + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,294 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Rice + tomatotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 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

Eggs: Bind the rice and vegetables together and help the casserole set as it bakes.
Cheddar cheese: Adds richness and fat, and melts into a browned, savory topping.
Cooked rice: Forms the bulk of the casserole and absorbs the tomato sauce and flavors.
Tomato sauce: Supplies moisture and acidity that carry the flavor through the rice.
Vegetable oil: Softens the onion and green pepper and carries their flavor into the dish.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, rice, egg, cheddar cheese, basil, tomato, sauce):

Capsicumfits better
Asparagusfits better
Potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, rice, egg, cheddar cheese, basil, tomato, sauce. 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.