Name: Mexicano Beef and Rice
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 2 cups cooked rice; 1 12-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained; 1 cup finely chopped onion; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 14-1/2- to 16-ounce can tomatoes or 2 cups; 1 cup grated Cheddar 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 ↓

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).
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Rice + corntop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together933 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,099 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Lean ground beef: Provides the meaty base and savory flavor of the casserole.
Cooked rice: Adds bulk and soaks up moisture, giving the casserole body.
Onion: Adds aromatic sweetness and savory depth as it softens in the bake.
Chili powder: Contributes the warm, earthy chili flavor that defines the dish.
Tomatoes: Supply moisture and acidity that season the beef and rice as they bake.
Cheddar cheese: Melts over the top to add richness and a golden, savory finish.

The step that matters

Covering, then uncovering, the bake. Baking covered first traps steam so the rice and beef cook through and stay moist. Removing the cover lets surface moisture evaporate so the top can brown lightly before the cheese goes on.

Swap the garlic

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

Cuminfits about as well
Garlicthe original
Celeryfits about as well
Oreganofits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, rice, corn, onion, pepper, tomato, cheddar 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
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Mexicano Beef and Rice