Why it works: Beans and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,211 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Stacked Rice and Beef Enchilada
Ingredients
Directions
Soak tortillas in hot water to soften. Cook onion in butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in rice, chili, picante sauce and cheese; cook until thoroughly heated about 2 to 3 minutes.
Place 1 tortilla in bottom of 9-inch round baking dish or pie plate; top with 1/4 rice mixture. Repeat layers with tortillas and rice, ending with tortilla. Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into 4 wedges to serve. Serve with dollop of sour cream, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 14 of 16 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 14 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Cottage Cheese | 1/2 cup (113g) 2% | 98 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Bean | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | 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.
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.
-
Beans + corntop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,211 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Rice + beanstop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,017 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Rice + corntop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Onion + beanstop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,242 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, rice, beans, sauce, cheese, corn, cream):
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, rice, beans, sauce, cheese, corn, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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