Why it works: Beans and rice 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 ↓
Easy Cheesy Rice Burrito
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Brown meat in large skillet over medium heat, about 8 minutes, then drain.
Add taco seasoning mix and water; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Add beans, rice, salsa and cheese; stir until well blended and heated through.
Remove from heat.
Assemble and serve
Spread about 1 cup of mixture on each tortilla.
Wrap up and serve immediately.
Serve with sour cream, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
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 |
| Pinto Bean | 1/2 cup (86g) canned | 122 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Taco | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
-
Beans + ricetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,017 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Beef + ricetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,265 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Beans + flourtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,080 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Beans + cheddar cheesetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together525 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + beanstop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,134 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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 protein and savory, browned flavor for the filling.
- Cooked rice
- Bulks up the filling and adds soft, starchy body that holds the mixture together.
- Pinto beans
- Add creamy texture and extra substance to the filling.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Melts into the hot filling, binding it and adding richness.
- Flour tortillas
- Act as the wrapper that holds the filling together.
The step that matters
Add taco seasoning mix and water; cook and stir until thickened. The seasoning mix thickens as the starch in it hydrates and the liquid simmers off. Stopping too early leaves a watery filling that soaks through the tortilla, while cooking too long leaves it dry and stiff.
Swap the beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, rice, cheddar cheese, flour, cream):
- Beansthe original
- Sesamefits about as well
- Almondfits less well
- Peanutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, rice, cheddar cheese, flour, cream. 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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