Name: Bacon and Tomato Sauce with Rice
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped celery; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 1/4 cup finely minced bacon; 2 tablespoons flour; 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 cup chicken broth; 4 cups hot cooked rice

Why it works: Celery and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Bacon and Tomato Sauce with Rice

Time1 minute

Ingredients

Directions

Combine celery, onion, and bacon in a large skillet and cook until bacon is crisp.
Add flour and cook 1 minute.
Blend in tomatoes, sugar, and broth.
Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly.
Serve over hot rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

990Calories

54 gProtein

9 gFat

169 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6

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 + tomatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Flour: Thickens the sauce as it cooks with the liquid, giving it body.
Bacon: Adds fat and smoky, savory flavor that the rest of the sauce builds on.
Canned tomatoes: Provide the liquid base and acidity that give the sauce its main flavor.
Chicken broth: Adds liquid and savory depth to the sauce.
Onion: Adds savory aromatic flavor as it softens in the bacon fat.

The step that matters

Stirring constantly while the sauce thickens. Flour mixed into liquid can clump or scorch on the bottom of the pan if not stirred. Constant stirring keeps the starch dispersed so the sauce becomes smooth and evenly thick.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, flour, tomato, sugar, chicken, rice):

Capsicumfits better
Okrafits better
Carrotfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against celery, flour, tomato, sugar, chicken, rice. 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.

Tomato Soup526 recipes

Chicken Broth257 recipes

Chicken Soup156 recipes

Cream of Celery Soup113 recipes

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Bacon and Tomato Sauce with Rice