Name: Hearty Beef and Rice
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 3 cups cooked rice; 1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup; 1 8-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained, chopped; 1 7-ounce can whole kernel corn; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar or American cheese

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Hearty Beef and Rice

Oven350°F

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups cooked rice
1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 8-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained, chopped
1 7-ounce can whole kernel corn
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar or American cheese

Directions

Make the filling

Cook beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in rice, soup, tomatoes, corn, garlic powder, and chili powder.
Pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish.

Bake

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

903Calories

53 gProtein

41 gFat

83 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Soup	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.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,232 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Rice + corntop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together933 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,099 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (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 meat base and bulk of the casserole.
Cooked rice: Adds body and soaks up the sauce so the casserole holds together when served.
Condensed cream of mushroom soup: Binds the ingredients into a creamy sauce that keeps the casserole moist during baking.
Cheddar or american cheese: Melts over the top and browns lightly, adding richness and a golden surface.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion, rice, cream, mushroom, tomato, corn):

Garlicthe original
Celeryfits about as well
Cuminfits less well
Thymefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion, rice, cream, mushroom, tomato, corn. 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.