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 ↓
Mexican Casserole I
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sauté ground beef, then drain grease.
Assemble
In a large bowl or pan, combine ground beef, onion, sauces, and soups.
Line a greased casserole dish with crumbled (torn in pieces) soft corn tortillas.
Pour in meat mixture.
Bake
Bake for 20 minutes.
Top with cheese and bake 10 minutes more.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 11 ingredients. The other 4 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 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Corn Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Taco | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Enchilada | not in our table | 0 |
| Soup | 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).
-
Beef + chickentop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,148 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Beef + mushroomtop 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).
-
Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ground beef
- Provides the main meaty body and savory flavor of the casserole.
- Corn tortillas
- Soften as they absorb the sauce, forming layers that hold the filling together.
- Cheddar cheese
- Melts over the top and browns slightly, adding richness and a golden surface.
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Adds creaminess and moisture that binds the meat mixture as it bakes.
- Cream of chicken soup
- Adds creaminess and moisture that binds the meat mixture as it bakes.
- Enchilada sauce
- Adds moisture, chile flavor and tang to the meat and tortilla layers.
The step that matters
Drain the grease after browning the beef. Excess fat left in the pan would pool in the casserole, making the filling greasy and loose instead of cohesive.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sauce, cream, chicken, mushroom, corn, cheddar cheese):
- Potatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sauce, cream, chicken, mushroom, corn, cheddar cheese. 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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