Name: Corned Beef, Cabbage and Peppers
Ingredients: 1 medium-sized head of cabbage; 1 large onion; 2 red bell peppers; 2 cans corned beef; 1 cup water; 4 drops Tabasco; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar

Why it works: Cabbage and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,081 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Corned Beef, Cabbage and Peppers

Timeabout 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut cabbage into 1" wide wedges.
Slice onion in rings.
Remove stems and seeds from peppers and slice them in 1/4" wide strips.
Cut corned beef in thin slices.

Layer and cook

Using a Dutch oven or other heavy pan, arrange half the cabbage on the bottom; top with half the onion, peppers, and beef slices.
Repeat layers using remaining ingredients.
Combine water, Tabasco, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
Pour over foods in pan.
Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently until tender, about 30 minutes.

Serve

Serve in wide soup bowls or deep plates.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

441Calories

33 gProtein

16 gFat

41 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Red Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Water	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.

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.

Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,081 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cabbage + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,001 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,971 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 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

Cabbage: Forms the bulk of the dish and turns tender and sweet as it simmers.
Corned beef: Supplies salty, savory meat flavor that seasons the layers as they cook.
Onion: Adds aromatic sweetness that mellows during the slow simmer.
Red bell peppers: Contribute sweetness and a mild, fresh pepper flavor to the braise.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the rich, salty beef and sweet vegetables.

The step that matters

Simmer gently until tender. A hard boil can toughen the meat and leave the cabbage uneven or watery. Keeping the liquid at a gentle simmer lets the cabbage soften evenly while the beef stays tender.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, beef, sauce, vinegar, sugar):

Capsicumfits better
Mustardfits better
Horseradishfits better
Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, beef, sauce, vinegar, sugar. 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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Corned Beef, Cabbage and Peppers