Why it works: Beef and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,232 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Rice and Hamburger Wraps
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Brown ground beef in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.
Add frozen rice mixture and pepper.
Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to break apart rice and vegetables.
Assemble and serve
Spoon about 1 cup mixture down center of each warm tortilla.
Top with cheese.
Fold up bottom of each tortilla; fold in sides.
If desired, enclose bottoms of wraps in foil.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
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Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Rice + mushroomtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,515 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + cheddar cheesetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together705 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Peas + mushroomtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together890 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Rice + peastop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,434 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ground beef
- Provides the savory, browned meat base that gives the filling its main flavor and body.
- Frozen rice medley
- Forms the bulk of the filling, with moisture from the vegetables and starch from the rice giving a tender texture.
- Flour tortillas
- Wrap the filling and hold it together; warming them makes them soft and pliable for folding.
- Cheddar cheese
- Melts over the warm filling, adding richness and a creamy, binding texture.
The step that matters
Cook the rice and vegetables until tender. Covering the pan on medium-low lets steam soften the rice and vegetables evenly; stirring breaks up clumps so the filling is uniform and easy to fold into the tortillas.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, rice, mushroom, pepper, flour, cheddar cheese):
- Beansfits better
- Sesamefits better
- Chestnutfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, rice, mushroom, pepper, flour, 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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