Why it works: Onion and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Taco Pie I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Press biscuits in pie pan.
Make the filling
Saute meat, onion, salt, pepper, taco seasonings, water, tomato paste, and granules.
Bring to boil and reduce heat to low for 10 minutes.
Assemble and bake
Put ½ meat mixture on top of biscuits, then ½ cheese, then repeat.
Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Biscuit | 1 medium (45g) | 166 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 85 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Taco | 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.
-
Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + mozzarella cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,577 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Biscuit + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together428 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Canned biscuits
- Form the crust base that holds the filling and bakes into a soft, bready layer.
- Ground turkey
- Provides the main meaty body of the filling.
- Tomato paste
- Adds concentrated tomato flavour and body to the filling, thickening it as it simmers.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Melts through the layers to bind the pie and add creamy, stretchy richness.
The step that matters
Simmering the filling. Reducing the heat to low after boiling lets the liquid thicken gently. If the filling stays too wet, the biscuits turn soggy and the pie will not hold its layers when cut.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (biscuit, turkey, pepper, beef, tomato, mozzarella cheese):
- Capsicumfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Onionthe original
- Potatofits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against biscuit, turkey, pepper, beef, tomato, mozzarella cheese. 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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