Name: Breakfast Burritos Recipe
Ingredients: 4 soft wholewheat flour tortillas; 6 eggs; 4 tablespoons 1%-fat milk; 2 tomatoes, finely chopped; 2 spring onions, finely chopped; 1 pepper, any colour, deseeded and finely chopped; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 40g reduced-fat hard cheese, grated; 1 pinch ground black pepper

Why it works: Tomato and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,923 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Breakfast Burritos Recipe

Ingredients

4 soft wholewheat flour tortillas
6 eggs
4 tablespoons 1%-fat milk
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 pepper, any colour, deseeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
40g reduced-fat hard cheese, grated
1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare

Lay out the tortillas on a work surface.
Preheat the grill.
Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix together the tomatoes, spring onions and pepper, seasoning with black pepper.

Cook and fill

Heat half a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan.
Pour in a quarter of the beaten egg mixture.
Cook on the hob over a medium heat for a few moments to set the base.
Layer 1 tortilla with the cooked egg, a quarter of the tomato mixture and 10g of cheese.
Grill to further set the egg and melt the cheese.
Roll up the tortilla and slice in half, or wrap in foil to serve later.
Repeat to make the other 3 tortillas.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1126Calories

40 gProtein

41 gFat

148 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6

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 NHS (UK).

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.

Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,426 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + cheesetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,896 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Set into a soft filling that holds the burrito together when cooked.
Tomatoes: Add moisture and fresh acidity to balance the rich egg and cheese.
Reduced-fat hard cheese: Melts into the filling, adding savoury flavour and a binding texture.
Soft wholewheat flour tortillas: Wrap the filling and hold it together when rolled.
Milk: Loosens the beaten eggs, keeping the cooked egg tender and moist.

The step that matters

Cook the egg base on the hob before grilling. Egg proteins set with heat, so the thin base must firm up in the pan first. If it is too wet, it will run out of the tortilla when rolled and grilled.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, milk, tomato, pepper, cheese):

Capsicumfits better
Potatofits better
Asparagusfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, milk, tomato, pepper, 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.

Tomato Soup526 recipes

Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes

Macaroni and Cheese102 recipes

Tomato Bisque61 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Breakfast Burritos Recipe