Name: Cheese and Rice Casserole
Ingredients: 1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup; 1/2 cup chopped pimientos; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided; 1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion; 3 cups cooked rice; 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Why it works: Celery and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Cheese and Rice Casserole

Oven400°F

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup chopped pimientos
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Prepare

Combine soup, pimientos, 1/4 cup parsley and onion in a large bowl.
Add rice and mix well.
Transfer mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish.

Bake and serve

Top with cheese and remaining 1/4 cup parsley.
Bake at 400 °F for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

421Calories

13 gProtein

15 gFat

57 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Soup	not in our table	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.

Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,810 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Celery + ricetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,169 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Parsley + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,433 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Condensed cream of celery soup: Provides a creamy, moist base that binds the rice and holds the casserole together.
Cooked rice: Forms the bulk of the casserole, giving it body and a tender, starchy texture.
Cheddar cheese: Melts over the top and adds richness, fat and savory flavor.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, celery, onion, rice, cheddar cheese):

Garlicfits better
Turmericfits better
Cuminfits about as well
Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, celery, onion, rice, 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.