Why it works: Chicken and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,172 recipes. Both carry 1-butyl acetate, which smells fruity, banana. The science ↓
Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
Directions
Make the filling
Fry hamburger and onion, drain.
Add soups, enchilada sauce, and milk.
Layer and bake
Quarter the tortillas.
In a greased 9x13 inch dish, start with a layer of tortillas.
Add a layer of soup mixture and cheese.
Continue layering until soup mixture is gone.
Top with cheese and bake at 350°F until cheese is melted and top begins to brown.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Corn Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
| Enchilada | 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.
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.
-
Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,172 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
-
Chicken + beeftop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,148 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Evaporated milk + saucetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together53 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Mushroom + beeftop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked 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
- Corn tortillas
- Provide the layered structure that soaks up the sauce and holds the casserole together.
- Ground beef
- Supplies the savory meaty base of the filling and adds fat and browning flavor.
- Cream of chicken soup
- Adds creamy body and moisture to the sauce so the layers stay saucy when baked.
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Adds creamy body and savory depth to the sauce, keeping the filling moist.
- Evaporated milk
- Thins the soup base into a pourable sauce and adds richness and creaminess.
- Cheese
- Melts into the layers for richness and forms a browned top when baked.
The step that matters
Layering until the soup mixture is gone. Tortillas soak up liquid as they bake, so spreading the sauce evenly between every layer keeps the casserole moist rather than dry in some spots and soggy in others.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, chicken, mushroom, evaporated milk, sauce, beef, corn):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Tomatofits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, chicken, mushroom, evaporated milk, sauce, beef, corn. 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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