Name: Three Cheese Casserole
Ingredients: 2 pounds zucchini, sliced; 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 cup finely chopped onion; 3 cups cooked rice; 1 4-ounce can green chiles, chopped; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided

Why it works: Cottage cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 213 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

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.

Cottage cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together213 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Rice + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together879 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Bind the cheese and meat mixture so it sets firm when baked.
Cottage cheese: Adds moisture and creaminess to the filling.
Cheddar cheese: Melts over the top and browns in the oven for a golden crust.
Cooked rice: Adds bulk and soaks up moisture so the casserole holds its shape.
Lean ground beef: Provides the main savory meaty base of the casserole.

The step that matters

Blend eggs, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese before stirring into the meat mixture. Eggs set when heated, so they must be evenly mixed through the filling to bind it. Uneven mixing leaves loose pockets that stay wet or split during baking.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, onion, rice, egg, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese):

Garlicthe original
Celeryfits about as well
Parsleyfits about as well
Dillfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, onion, rice, egg, cottage cheese, parmesan 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Cottage Cheese	1/2 cup (113g) 2%	98
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Three Cheese Casserole