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Blushing Rice Tomato Cups

Tomato shells filled with seasoned rice, corn, mushrooms, and cheese, baked until hot.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Rice and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 933 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Blushing Rice Tomato Cups

Oven375°F
Time20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the tomatoes

  1. Cut a slice from the top of each tomato.

  2. Remove the pulp; reserve.

  3. Sprinkle the tomato shells with salt and black pepper.

  4. Turn the tomato shells upside down on paper towel to drain.

  5. Place the tomatoes in a greased large baking dish.

  6. Place the dish in a pan filled with 1/2-inch hot water.

Make the filling

  1. Cook the onion and green pepper in butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender.

  2. Stir in the rice, corn, tomato pulp, mushrooms, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; heat thoroughly.

  3. Add 1/4 cup cheese.

  4. Spoon the mixture into the tomato shells.

  5. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese; sprinkle with paprika.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

  2. Spoon any leftover mixture into the baking pan and bake with the tomatoes.

  3. Serve the tomatoes surrounded by extra mixture.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

616Calories
20 gProtein
23 gFat
87 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Mushrooms1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 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.

  1. Rice + corntop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together933 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  2. Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,099 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,065 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Tomato + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,719 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  5. Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,525 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes
Hollowed shells that hold the filling and soften as they bake, becoming tender and juicy.
Cooked rice
Forms the bulk of the filling, giving it body and soaking up moisture from the vegetables.
Butter
Fat for cooking the onion and green pepper, carrying flavor and keeping them tender.
Cheddar cheese
Melts into the filling, adding richness and a savory, binding texture.
Mushrooms
Add savory, earthy flavor and a soft texture to the filling.

The step that matters

Drain the tomato shells. Tomato shells hold a lot of water. Turning them upside down on paper towel removes excess moisture, so the filling stays thick and the cups do not turn soggy in the oven.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, butter, rice, corn, mushroom, cheddar cheese):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Potatofits better
  3. Asparagusfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, butter, rice, corn, mushroom, cheddar 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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