Why it works: Tomato and basil are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,979 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Ground Chuck Casserole
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble
Place corn (not drained) in a 1½‑quart casserole dish.
Add uncooked rice and half of the chopped onion.
Spread ½ can of the tomato soup over the rice and onion.
Crumb the ground chuck and add it to the dish with the remaining onion, salt, pepper, and basil.
Spread the remaining tomato soup over the mixture.
Pour 1¼ can of water over everything.
Place 2 strips of bacon over the mixture.
Bake
Cover and bake at 350°F for 1½ hours.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Sweet Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
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.
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Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,979 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,294 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Corn + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Corn + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Corn + basiltop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together263 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ground chuck
- Provides the meat and fat that give the casserole its savory, beefy flavor.
- Rice
- Absorbs liquid as it bakes, becoming tender and helping thicken the casserole.
- Tomato soup
- Adds moisture, acidity and body that form the sauce around the rice and meat.
- Bacon
- Renders fat into the dish and adds smoky, savory flavor as it cooks.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth as it softens during baking.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (corn, tomato, rice, pepper, basil):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Eggplantfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against corn, tomato, rice, pepper, basil. 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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