Beef and vegetables: cheese-sauce potatoes vs no sauce USDA FDC 2706728 vs 2706601
Per 100 g, vegetables including carrots reports 3 g carbohydrate, while potatoes and vegetables reports 11.8 g carbohydrate.
The comparison uses two cited USDA records. Their complete source names, household portions, nutrient values, and FoodData Central links remain visible below.
Record A · FDC 2706728
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce
Check this record in FoodData Central ↗Record B · FDC 2706601
Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce
Check this record in FoodData Central ↗Highlighted difference
Protein at the same 100-gram weight
Bar length shows the two cited values on one shared denominator. It does not rank either food or establish why they differ.
- Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce 11.4 g
11.4 g - Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce 8.1 g
8.1 g
Shared basis: 100 g · g
Equal-weight evidence
Nutrition per 100 grams
Both columns use the same mass, which compares nutrient concentration without allowing the two representative source amounts to change the denominator. “A +” or “B +” reports the arithmetic difference between the cited values; it is not a quality score.
On smaller screens, focus a comparison table and scroll horizontally to read every column.
| Nutrient | A · Beef and vegetables including carrots… | B · Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including… | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 116 kcal | 127 kcal | B +11 kcal |
| ProteinMaterial difference | 11.4 g | 8.1 g | A +3.3 g |
| Total fat | 6.7 g | 5.4 g | A +1.3 g |
| CarbohydrateMaterial difference | 3 g | 11.8 g | B +8.8 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.4 g | 1.4 g | Same reported value |
| Total sugars | 1.3 g | 1 g | A +0.3 g |
| Sodium | 316 mg | 304 mg | A +12 mg |
| Saturated fatMaterial difference | 1.7 g | 2.7 g | B +1 g |
| Potassium | 164 mg | 253 mg | B +89 mg |
| Calcium | 19 mg | 96 mg | B +77 mg |
| Iron | 1.1 mg | 0.7 mg | A +0.4 mg |
Values come from the two cited USDA FoodData Central Survey Foods records. Feast does not average records, impute missing values, or infer a nutrient from the food name.
Read the table by question
The material primary-nutrient differences run in both directions: A is higher on 1, while B is higher on 1.
These answers describe concentration per 100 grams. “More” and “less” identify the arithmetic direction only; they do not decide which record is a better match or which food is better for a person.
Which reports fewer calories?
Record A
Record A reports 116 kcal, compared with 127 kcal in the other record—a difference of 11 kcal.
Which reports more protein?
Record A
Record A reports 11.4 g, compared with 8.1 g in the other record—a difference of 3.3 g.
Which reports more fiber?
Same reported value
Both records report 1.4 g of fiber per 100 g.
Which reports less sodium?
Record B
Record B reports 304 mg, compared with 316 mg in the other record—a difference of 12 mg.
What differs in the source descriptions
The exact names carry information the numbers cannot.
USDA assigns both records to “Meat mixed dishes,” but the topic label is broad. Record A is “Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce.” Record B is “Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce.” Feast paired them because their contrast-neutral food identities are closely related (83% token overlap after controlled modifiers are set aside), not merely because they share a generic category.
The controlled name parser found 1 interpretable distinction. These labels organize wording already present in the names; they do not establish that a distinction caused a nutrient difference.
| Description dimension | Record A | Record B |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce wording | no sauce | No matching controlled term in the source name |
Even a clean name contrast can carry hidden companions. A fried record may also include coating; a restaurant record can use a different recipe; a reduced-sodium description can differ in more than salt; and a source amount can reflect a different reporting convention. That is why this page reports the complete pair rather than treating one word as an intervention.
Portion context
A representative source amount is not a shared “serving.”
Record A uses USDA reference amount at 121 g. Record B uses USDA reference amount at 189 g. Those labels and gram weights come from their respective records. They are useful for scaling the chosen profile, but they are not recommendations and need not describe equal amounts.
The two representative amounts differ by 68 g (36% of the larger amount). This is why the main table holds mass at 100 g. After selecting the closer description, use its household measure or a gram estimate for the amount actually eaten.
A cup, piece, slice, sandwich, fillet, or fluid ounce can have different gram weights across records. A matching label is not enough: check the listed grams. If accuracy matters more than convenience, weighing the food or using a current package label can be more specific than a generic survey-food measure.
Record A measures
- 1 cup162 g
- USDA reference amount121 g
Record B measures
- 1 cup252 g
- USDA reference amount189 g
One shared household label
1 cup: 162 g in A vs 252 g in B
The household label matches, but the source gram weights differ. These values scale each record by its own listed grams; they are practical portion context, not an equal-mass comparison.
| Nutrient | A · 162 g | B · 252 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 188 kcal | 320 kcal |
| Protein | 18.5 g | 20.5 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.3 g | 3.5 g |
| Sodium | 512 mg | 766 mg |
USDA source formulation evidence
The listed inputs provide another way to audit the match.
FNDDS includes input-food rows behind each standardized survey-food record. Record A’s leading listed inputs include Beef, round, top round steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked, broiled, Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, Beverages, water, tap, drinking. Record B’s include Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt, Cheese sauce, prepared from recipe, Beef, round, top round steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked, broiled, Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt. Ingredient-code overlap is 50%, and normalized listed-input-weight variation is 69%.
Record A · 6 coded inputs
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/…
- Beef, round, top round steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked, broiledIngredient code 13893 · open source index32.7% of listed input weight
- Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without saltIngredient code 11093 · open source index21.8% of listed input weight
- Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without saltIngredient code 11131 · open source index21.8% of listed input weight
- Beverages, water, tap, drinkingIngredient code 14411 · open source index19.6% of listed input weight
- Vegetable oil, NFSIngredient code 82101000 · open source index3.3% of listed input weight
- Salt, tableIngredient code 2047 · open source index0.7% of listed input weight
Record B · 6 coded inputs
Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli…
- Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without saltIngredient code 11367 · open source index43.3% of listed input weight
- Cheese sauce, prepared from recipeIngredient code 1164 · open source index26% of listed input weight
- Beef, round, top round steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked, broiledIngredient code 13893 · open source index13% of listed input weight
- Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without saltIngredient code 11093 · open source index8.7% of listed input weight
- Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without saltIngredient code 11131 · open source index8.7% of listed input weight
- Salt, tableIngredient code 2047 · open source index0.4% of listed input weight
4 shared coded inputs
The largest shared entries include Beef, round, top round steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked, broiled, Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, Salt, table. Shared codes can still carry different listed weights.
2 A-only and 2 B-only coded inputs
A-only entries include Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Vegetable oil, NFS. B-only entries include Potatoes, boiled, cooked without skin, flesh, without salt, Cheese sauce, prepared from recipe.
Important: repeated rows carrying the same ingredient code are combined before the shares and overlap are calculated. These weights belong to USDA’s source formulation: they are not a reconstructed plate, final cooked yield, visitor serving, ingredient declaration, or estimate of what is visible in a photo. USDA’s FNDDS documentation explains that these calculation recipes can represent multiple variants, may include retention or moisture adjustments, and are not product-label ingredient lists.
- NFS means “not further specified.” The record intentionally leaves the exact subtype, size, or preparation unresolved.
Choosing the closer record
Match context first; scale second.
- 01
Read both names literally
Compare cooking method, coating, edible skin or peel, sauce, additions, venue, source form, and food subtype. For this pair, the full A and B descriptions above are the evidence—not shortened search labels.
- 02
Use listed inputs as a check
If the name still leaves ambiguity, compare the leading and unique source inputs. They can reveal that two near names refer to meaningfully different standardized formulations, but they do not reconstruct your dish.
- 03
Choose an amount for that record
After choosing A or B, use its own named measure and gram weight. Do not transfer a cup, slice, or “typical amount” from the other record as if the measures were interchangeable.
- 04
Account for missing details
Brand, current restaurant recipe, cooking oil, drained weight, toppings, substitutions, and unfinished portions may not be captured. A label or weighed recipe can supersede a generic reference when it better matches the actual food.
Limits and responsible interpretation
This is a comparison of records, not a causal study.
The two records come from 2021–2023 FoodData Central Survey Foods data. The nutrient table faithfully compares their published values on the same weight basis. It does not measure two plates prepared at the same time, isolate one ingredient, or estimate the uncertainty around either value.
For this pair, the source names differ across 1 documented description dimension, while the listed formulations show 50% ingredient-code overlap and 69% normalized listed-weight variation. Moisture, ingredient proportions, preparation, and record construction can therefore move together. The page can describe the combined record difference; it cannot isolate the effect of one word.
A higher or lower number is not an overall verdict. Protein, fiber, sodium, energy, fat, micronutrients, preferences, allergies, budget, portion, and an individual’s goals answer different questions. Feast therefore reports directions and magnitudes without applying a universal “healthier” label.
This page is educational and does not diagnose a condition, prescribe a target, or replace advice from a qualified professional. For an allergy, medically directed diet, or strict ingredient limit, use verified ingredient information and guidance appropriate to that situation.
How this page qualified
A page is published only when the pair clears materiality and diversity gates.
Both records must occupy the same USDA survey-food topic and share a close food identity after a controlled vocabulary separates preparation, edible-part, source, claim, crust, and sauce wording. Exact contrast-neutral identities receive priority. Close ingredient or form substitutions can qualify when name overlap remains high and the numerical evidence is material.
For primary nutrients, Feast requires both an absolute and relative difference: at least 20 kcal and 12% for energy; 2 g and 18% for protein or fat; 5 g and 15% for carbohydrate; 1 g and 20% for fiber; 4 g and 20% for sugars; or 100 mg and 20% for sodium. A focused one-nutrient pair also needs a material representative-amount or formulation distinction. Rounding-only pairs are not published.
Unordered FDC IDs define a canonical pair, so reversing A and B cannot create another page. Each source record can appear twice at most, each USDA topic contributes no more than 40 pages, and closely repeated identity families are capped. Those rules produced a selective comparison library rather than every mathematical combination in the corpus.
Read the complete nutrition-page methodology for import, nutrient mapping, portion scaling, Daily Value, and uncertainty rules.
Decision support from the exact records on this page
Turn source data into a better next decision
These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 2 exact records behind Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce versus Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce. Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.
Equal-weight result
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce is higher in protein per 100 g
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce reports 11.4 g versus 8.1 g for Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce: a 3.3 g difference when both are normalized to 100 g.
Inspect the underlying evidenceThe denominator changes the answer
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce is denser; Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce is higher in its source amount
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce reports 11.4 g per 100 g and 13.8 g in USDA source amount (121 g). Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce reports a lower 8.1 g per 100 g but a higher 15.4 g in USDA source amount (189 g).
Record identity is part of the estimate
Distinguish “Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce” from “Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce”
These are separate USDA records with separate formulations or survey descriptions. Match preparation, additions, and the named household amount before borrowing either record’s nutrients.
Inspect the underlying evidenceContextual knowledge graph
Follow the relationship that matches your question
For Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce versus Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce, each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.
Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce is explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.
Follow this evidence path Best next guide for this exact record Beef potatoes and vegetablesBeef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce is explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.
Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Protein: density and serving contextIn this page’s records, protein runs from 8.1 g in Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce to 11.4 g in Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce, all per 100 g.
Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Beverages, water, tap, drinkingUSDA input 14411 appears in 1 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 9–9 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Cheese sauce, prepared from recipeUSDA input 1164 appears in 1 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 30–30 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce vs Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; tomato-based sauceBeef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Sauce wording: no sauce versus No matching controlled term in the source name; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.
Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Calcium: density and serving contextIn this page’s records, calcium runs from 19 mg in Beef and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; no potatoes, no sauce to 96 mg in Beef, potatoes, and vegetables including carrots, broccoli, and/or dark-green leafy; cheese sauce, all per 100 g.
Follow this evidence path