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Ham and Cheese Bake

A baked casserole of rice, ham, cheese, vegetables, and pineapple in a curry‑flavored broth.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Ham and Cheese Bake

Oven350 °F
Time25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the onion

  1. Cook onion in butter in large skillet until tender crisp.

Bake

  1. Add green pepper, celery, rice, broth, sugar, curry and ham.

  2. Bring to a boil, stir well, cover, and bake at 350 °F for 25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Finish

  1. Remove from oven, then add pineapple and cheese and toss lightly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1049Calories
73 gProtein
40 gFat
99 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork100g cooked242
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Celery1 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.

  1. Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together16,012 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,769 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  3. Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Celery + ricetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,169 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Rice
Starch that absorbs the broth and softens into tender grains as it bakes.
Chicken broth
Liquid that cooks the rice and gives the dish its savory base.
Cheddar cheese
Melts slightly when tossed in and adds richness and salty flavor.
Butter or margarine
Fat that softens the onion and carries flavor from the start.
Pineapple chunks
Adds sweetness and a bright acidity that balances the savory ham and cheese.

The step that matters

Bake covered until the liquid is absorbed. Rice softens as its starch swells in the broth. Keeping the lid on traps steam so the liquid stays in the dish. Lifting the lid lets moisture escape, which can leave the grains firm.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, butter, pepper, rice, chicken, sugar, ham):

  1. Garlicfits about as well
  2. Celerythe original
  3. Thymefits about as well
  4. Turmericfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, butter, pepper, rice, chicken, sugar, ham. 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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