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Mexican Rice Casserole

A casserole of rice, bacon, ground beef, vegetables, tomato sauce, raisins, and cheese baked until bubbly.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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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 ↓

Mexican Rice Casserole

Oven450 degrees

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Cook bacon in large skillet over low heat until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on absorbent paper.

  2. Add green pepper and onion to skillet and cook until tender.

  3. Add rice and continue cooking until golden.

  4. Stir in ground beef and garlic; cook until meat is no longer pink.

  5. Add water, tomato sauce, raisins, salt and chili powder; heat to boiling.

  6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Assemble and bake

  1. Spoon half the mixture into greased 2-quart casserole.

  2. Sprinkle with half the cheese and half of crumbled bacon.

  3. Add remaining meat mixture and top with remaining cheese and bacon.

  4. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

783Calories
45 gProtein
29 gFat
85 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
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Cheddar Cheese1 oz (28g)113
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

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. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Rice + tomatotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,065 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Rice
Absorbs the liquid as it simmers, becoming tender and giving the casserole its body.
Lean ground beef
Provides the main protein and savory, browned meaty flavor.
Sharp cheddar cheese
Melts into a binding layer that adds richness and salty flavor on top.
Bacon
Renders fat into the skillet and adds smoky, crisp contrast in the filling and topping.
Tomato sauce
Adds liquid and acidity that flavors the rice as it simmers.
Raisins
Plump with moisture as they cook, adding sweetness that balances the chili powder.

The step that matters

Cooking the rice until golden. Toasting the rice in fat before adding liquid gives it a nutty, deeper flavor and helps the grains stay separate. Rushing this step leaves a flatter taste.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, onion, rice, beef, garlic, tomato, sauce):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Corianderfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, onion, rice, beef, garlic, tomato, sauce. 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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