Name: Chili-Cheese Casserole for a Crowd
Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil; 2 cups chopped onion; 1 cup chopped green bell pepper; 1 cup chopped red bell pepper; 1½ tbsp chili powder; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa; 1 tsp ground cumin; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cups water; 1½ cups uncooked bulgur or cracked wheat; 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro; 1 (16-oz) can pinto beans, drained; 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained; 1 (14½-oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 (14½-oz) can vegetable broth; 2 drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced; 2 cups (8 oz) shredded reduced-fat Monterey jack cheese, divided; 2 cups baked tortilla chips

Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. 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.

Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together983 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Bulgur or cracked wheat: Absorbs the liquid and provides the hearty, chewy body of the casserole.
Pinto beans and black beans: Provide bulk, protein-rich texture and soft creaminess once simmered in the filling.
Monterey jack cheese: Melts into the layers and browns on top, binding the casserole and adding richness.
Diced tomatoes: Add moisture and acidity that help build the saucy base of the filling.
Chili powder: Supplies the main chili flavor and aroma when bloomed in the cooked filling.

The step that matters

Simmering the bean mixture before layering. The bulgur must absorb the liquid during the 10-minute simmer; if the mixture is too wet, the casserole turns soupy when baked.

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, onion, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, clove):

Chickpeafits better
Lentilsfits better
Black-eyed peafits better
Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, onion, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, clove. 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
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Tortilla Chip	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Pinto Bean	1/2 cup (86g) canned	122
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Green Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Red Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Water	not in our table	0
Bulgur	not in our table	0
Wheat	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0

Chili-Cheese Casserole for a Crowd