Name: Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
Ingredients: 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices; 1 14-1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes; 1 15- to 16-ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed; 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper; 3 cups cooked rice

Why it works: Tomato and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,713 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

Ingredients

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 14-1/2-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 15- to 16-ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups cooked rice

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
Add sausage; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly brown.
Add tomatoes, red beans and red pepper.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in rice; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes more or until thoroughly heated.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

537Calories

18 gProtein

28 gFat

53 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Smoked Sausage	100g cooked	301
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Red Bean	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.

Tomato + beanstop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,713 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beans + ricetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,017 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beans + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,733 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

Smoked sausage: Browns in the skillet to add savory flavor and fat to the dish.
Red beans: Provide the main body and starch, holding their shape while simmering in the sauce.
Stewed tomatoes: Supply liquid and acidity that form the sauce the beans simmer in.
Cooked rice: Absorbs the sauce and adds bulk, becoming heated through at the end.