Name: Mixed Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients: 1 (10 oz) package frozen lima beans, thawed; 1 (10 oz) package frozen cauliflower, thawed; 1 (10 oz) package frozen peas, thawed; 1 (10 oz) package frozen cut green beans, thawed; 1 (8 oz) package frozen whole mushrooms, thawed; ¼ cup butter, unsalted; ½ cup all purpose flour; 1 tsp dry mustard; 2 cups skim milk; 2 cups light and fat-free chicken broth; 2 tbsp prepared horseradish; ⅛ tsp Tabasco; 2 cups breadcrumbs

Why it works: Lima beans and green beans share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓

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.

Lima beans + green beanstop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Cauliflower + mustardtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together687 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Lima beans + peastop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together85 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Peas + green beanstop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together54 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Cauliflower + green beanstop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together75 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Flour: Thickens the milk and broth into a smooth sauce as it cooks.
Butter: Fat that carries the flour and adds richness to the sauce.
Milk: Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens as it cooks.
Chicken broth: Adds savory flavor and liquid to the sauce.
Breadcrumbs: Form a crisp, golden topping when baked.
Lima beans: Provide the bulk of the vegetable base in the casserole.

The step that matters

Cook the sauce until smooth and thickened. Flour must be cooked with the liquid and stirred often so it hydrates evenly; undercooked flour leaves a pasty, raw taste and lumps, while stirring prevents scorching on the bottom of the pan.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lima beans, cauliflower, peas, green beans, mushroom, butter, flour):

Asparagusfits better
Shallotfits better
Cucumberfits better
Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lima beans, cauliflower, peas, green beans, mushroom, butter, flour. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Lima Bean	1/2 cup (85g) cooked	108
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Horseradish	not in our table	0

Mixed Vegetable Casserole