Name: Shepherd's Pie with Beef and Cheese
Ingredients: 1 med. onion; 1 green pepper, diced; 1 lb. ground beef; 2 tbsp. butter; 8 potatoes, whipped (about 4 c.) - see note; 2 cans of corn (or any vegetable); 1/2 c. grated cheese; Bread crumbs

Why it works: Onion and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Shepherd's Pie with Beef and Cheese

Oven325°F

Timeabout 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

Saute onion and green pepper in butter.
Add ground beef and stir until browned.
Season and drain.

Assemble and bake

In a greased casserole dish, layer meat and vegetables.
Place mashed potatoes on top.
Top potatoes with shredded cheese.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
Bake at 325°F for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1353Calories

56 gProtein

52 gFat

165 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Beef	100g cooked	250
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31

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.

Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + corntop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together938 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,232 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,130 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Ground beef: Forms the savoury, meaty base of the filling and browns for flavour.
Potatoes: Form the mashed topping that seals in moisture and browns in the oven.
Butter: Adds fat and richness while softening and browning the onion and pepper.
Grated cheese: Melts over the potatoes and browns on top, adding richness.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, beef, butter, potato, corn, cheese, bread):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Asparagusfits about as well
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, beef, butter, potato, corn, cheese, bread. 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.