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Spicy Black Beans with Tomatoes, Onions, and Cilantro

A saute of black beans with onion, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro, seasoned with cayenne and served hot.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 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 ↓

Spicy Black Beans with Tomatoes, Onions, and Cilantro

Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the beans

  1. In a large saute pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Add the onion, garlic, and green and red peppers, and saute 4-6 minutes, until onions are translucent and vegetables are tender.

  3. Add the black beans and salt to taste.

  4. Add tomatoes and olive oil.

  5. Let cook another 5 minutes, until hot throughout.

  6. Add cilantro and mix well.

Season and serve

  1. Add cayenne pepper to taste and serve hot, garnished with sprigs of parsley.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

476Calories
12 gProtein
27 gFat
51 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Black Bean1/2 cup canned (120g) drained114
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Plum1 medium (66g)30
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Beans + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,713 recipes

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

  4. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Black beans
Provide the main body and starchy, creamy texture of the dish.
Plum tomatoes
Add moisture and acidity that loosens the pan and brightens the beans.
Onion
Softens and turns sweet as it cooks, forming the aromatic base.
Green and red bell peppers
Add sweetness and tender body while contributing fresh, vegetal flavor.
Butter
Adds fat and rich flavor to the sauté and helps the vegetables brown slightly.

The step that matters

Add cayenne pepper to taste. Cayenne is potent and its heat builds as the dish sits, so adding it in small amounts and tasting first prevents an overly hot result.

Swap the plum

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, olive, onion, garlic, pepper, beans, tomato):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Limefits better
  3. Cherryfits about as well
  4. Plumthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, olive, onion, garlic, pepper, beans, tomato. 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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