Name: South-of-the-Border Lasagna
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sour cream; 1 1/2 cups salsa; Vegetable cooking spray; 6 cups cooked rice, divided; 1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed; 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided; 2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Why it works: Rice and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,017 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

South-of-the-Border Lasagna

Oven350°F

Time15 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups salsa
Vegetable cooking spray
6 cups cooked rice, divided
1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Directions

Prepare

Combine sour cream and salsa in a medium bowl; set aside.
Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Layer and bake

Layer the bottom of the dish with 3 cups rice.
Spread half of the sour cream mixture over the rice.
Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese over the sour cream mixture.
Add a layer of black beans.
Spread the remaining rice over the beans.
Spread the remaining sour cream mixture over the rice.
Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes; remove from oven.

Top and finish

Mix remaining shredded cheddar cheese with crushed tortilla chips.
Sprinkle the cheese-chip mixture over the lasagna.
Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

815Calories

41 gProtein

28 gFat

100 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22

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.

Rice + beanstop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,017 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Beans + cheddar cheesetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together525 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cream + cheddar cheesetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,036 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Rice + cheddar cheesetop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together511 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cream + ricetop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,399 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

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

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice: Forms the bulk of the layers and absorbs moisture from the sauce as it bakes.
Sour cream: Adds creamy moisture and richness that keeps the layers from drying out.
Shredded cheddar cheese: Melts into the layers to bind them and adds savory flavor and browning on top.
Black beans: Add substance, earthy flavor and texture between the rice layers.
Crushed tortilla chips: Add a crisp, toasted texture to the topping as they bake.

The step that matters

Returning the dish to the oven for the final bake. Cheese melts and sets quickly, so a few extra minutes can over-brown the topping or dry the layers. Watch for melted cheese and lightly golden chips, then stop.

“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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South-of-the-Border Lasagna