Name: Beef and Macaroni Chili
Ingredients: 1 cup macaroni, raw; 1/2 lbs ground beef; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp chili powder; 1 pinch salt; 1 pinch pepper, freshly ground; 1 can tomato soup; 1 oz mozzarella cheese 15% mf

Why it works: Garlic and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,076 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Beef and Macaroni Chili

Timeabout 7 minutes for the macaroni

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the macaroni

Cook macaroni about 7 minutes.

Make the chili

Brown meat in largest saucepan and drain off all fat.
Add garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper, mix well and cook on low about 5 minutes.
Add cooked macaroni and tomato soup, then heat thoroughly.

Finish with cheese

Just before serving add grated cheese, cover and heat until cheese melts.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

375Calories

34 gProtein

22 gFat

9 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Mozzarella Cheese	1 oz (28g)	85
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Macaroni	not in our table	0
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.

Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,448 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Tomato + mozzarella cheesetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,577 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Ground beef: Provides the main body and savory meaty flavor of the chili.
Macaroni: Adds starch and bulk, soaking up sauce and giving the dish its substance.
Tomato soup: Supplies the liquid base and tomato acidity that carry the seasonings.
Mozzarella cheese: Melts into the hot mixture to add creaminess and mild richness.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, tomato, mozzarella cheese):

Basilfits better
Oreganofits better
Garlicthe original
Celeryfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, tomato, mozzarella 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.