Anyone who normally makes stuffed peppers needs two pots: one for the peppers, one for the sauce. With the Thermomix® you only need one. The peppers cook for 35 minutes in the Varoma while the rice cooks at the same time in the simmering basket. The stock left in the mixing bowl afterwards goes straight into the tomato sauce.
How to prepare the peppers properly
Cut off the top of each pepper and remove all seeds and white membranes completely. Both steps matter, not just for appearance: white inner ribs taste bitter and affect the flavour of the filling. Stand the filled peppers upright in the Varoma so the minced meat stays inside and does not fall out during cooking. Four medium-sized peppers fit comfortably in the Varoma tray.
Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Tomato Sauce, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 21 ✓
- 4 peppers yellow and red
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 slices white bread or 1 bread roll
- 1 Mozzarella
- 400 g mixed mince
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp hot paprika powder
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 600 g vegetable stock
- 200 g rice
- 30 g butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp sugar
- 400 g tomatoes
- 1 sprig basil
- 1/2 bunch parsley
Instructions 0 / 14
-
1
Prepare the peppers.
Peppers: wash, cut off the tops and remove the seeds.
-
2
Add garlic to the mixing bowl.
Garlic: peel, place in the mixing bowl.
-
3
Chop the onion.
Onion: peel, halve, place in the mixing bowl, chop 5 sec / speed 6 and push down with the spatula.
-
4
Sweat.
Add the oil and sweat 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
5
Chop the bread.
Add the bread in pieces to the mixing bowl, chop 8 sec / speed 6 and push down with the spatula.
-
6
Mix the mince filling.
Add Mozzarella in pieces, mince, egg and spices to the mixing bowl and mix 10 sec / reverse direction / speed 3.
-
7
Fill the peppers.
Fill the peppers with the mince mixture and place in the Varoma.
-
8
Cook the rice.
Add the vegetable stock to the mixing bowl, insert the simmering basket, weigh in the rice, place the Varoma on top and cook 35 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
9
Keep the rice warm.
Remove the Varoma, take out the simmering basket and keep warm. Empty the mixing bowl, reserving the cooking stock for later.
-
10
Cook the sauce.
Place the butter in the mixing bowl, melt 1 min / 60°C / speed 1, add the flour and cook 1 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
11
Add the tomato puree.
Add the tomato puree and sugar to the mixing bowl and cook together 2 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
12
Add the tomatoes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cooking stock to the mixing bowl and cook 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
13
Prepare the herbs.
Meanwhile, wash the basil and parsley and pick off the leaves.
-
14
Serve.
Serve the peppers with rice, sauce and a garnish of herbs.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the filling holds together
The mixed minced meat is mixed in the mixing bowl on reverse direction speed 3, not kneaded. That is the key difference. Mix for too long or too fast and you get a dense, dry filling. Done correctly, after 10 seconds you have a loosely bound mixture where the bread and Mozzarella are still just visible. The bread absorbs the meat juices during cooking and keeps the filling moist. The Mozzarella melts slowly in the Varoma and runs through the filling. We use yellow and red peppers because they become sweeter during cooking and turn less bitter than green ones. If you use green peppers, the filling can taste quite sharp.
Do not throw away the stock
After 35 minutes in the Varoma the stock in the mixing bowl has reduced and is full of flavour. Pour it into a bowl and set it aside. Do not discard it: it is the base for the tomato sauce you make next in the same mixing bowl. Butter, flour, tomato puree and sugar go in one after another, then the chopped tomatoes and the reserved stock. The sauce needs roughly another 6 minutes in the mixing bowl. You can keep the rice in the simmering basket warm in the meantime.
The recipe has Austrian and Hungarian roots, with hot paprika powder and oregano in the filling. If you prefer it milder, swap the hot paprika powder for sweet paprika powder.
How do the peppers fit in the Varoma?
Stand four medium-sized peppers upright inside. Cut off the pepper tops and remove all seeds and white walls completely. Keep them upright so the filling does not spill out.
Why is the filling only mixed for 10 seconds?
Reverse direction, speed 3, 10 seconds maximum. Mixing for longer makes the minced meat mixture dense and dry. A short mix keeps it light, with the bread and Mozzarella still recognisable.
Can the rice really cook at the same time?
Yes. Rice in the simmering basket, peppers in the Varoma on top. Both cook in the same 35 minutes at Varoma temperature. One run for the whole dish.
What do I do with the stock in the mixing bowl?
Do not discard it. Pour it into a bowl, then cook the tomato sauce in the same mixing bowl. Add the stock back in at the end. It makes the sauce noticeably more flavourful.
Which colour pepper works best?
Yellow and red. Both become sweeter during cooking than green peppers. Green peppers can taste bitter and overpower the flavour of the filling.
How spicy is the dish?
Mild to medium, from the hot paprika powder in the filling. For something milder: use sweet paprika powder. For more heat: add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the filling.
Does this work on all Thermomix® models?
Yes. TM5, TM6 and TM7 are identical. TM31 works too; Varoma temperature and times stay the same. Reverse direction, speed 3 for the filling.
How other recipes approach this dish
Goes well with: Baguette.
Looking at other Thermomix® stuffed pepper recipes, one thing stands out: many prepare the sauce completely separately or bake the peppers in the oven rather than using the Varoma. Some versions replace the minced meat with millet or plain rice and cook everything in the oven with sieved tomatoes as the sauce. Others make the tomato sauce with fresh cream in the mixing bowl and put the peppers in the oven alongside. Our approach runs everything in a single pass: rice in the simmering basket, peppers in the Varoma, and the reserved stock becomes the base of the sauce. That saves on washing up and makes the sauce more intense.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Tomato Sauce, Thermomix®
Ingredients
- 4 peppers yellow and red
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 slices white bread or 1 bread roll
- 1 Mozzarella
- 400 g mixed minced meat
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp hot paprika powder
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 600 g vegetable stock
- 200 g rice
- 30 g butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp sugar
- 400 g tomatoes
- 1 sprig basil
- 1/2 bunch parsley
Instructions
- Wash the peppers, cut off the tops and remove the seeds.4 peppers
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information - Peel the garlic and add it to the mixing bowl.1 garlic clove
- Peel the onion, halve it, add to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 6 and scrape down with the spatula.1 onion
- Add the oil and cook for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.1 tbsp olive oil
- Add the bread in pieces to the mixing bowl, chop for 8 sec / speed 6 and scrape down with the spatula.2 slices white bread
- Add the Mozzarella in pieces, the minced meat, egg and spices to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / reverse direction / speed 3.1 Mozzarella, 400 g mixed minced meat, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp hot paprika powder, 1 tsp oregano
- Fill the peppers with the minced meat mixture and place upright in the Varoma.
- Add the vegetable stock to the mixing bowl, insert the simmering basket, weigh in the rice, place the Varoma on top and cook for 35 min / Varoma / speed 1.600 g vegetable stock, 200 g rice
- Remove the Varoma, take out the simmering basket and keep warm. Empty the mixing bowl, reserving the cooking liquid for later.
- Add the butter to the mixing bowl, melt for 1 min / 60°C / speed 1, add the flour and cook for 1 min / Varoma / speed 1.30 g butter, 1 tbsp flour
- Add the tomato puree and sugar to the mixing bowl and cook for 2 min / Varoma / speed 1.2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp sugar
- Add the chopped tomatoes and the cooking liquid to the mixing bowl and cook for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.400 g tomatoes
- Meanwhile, wash the basil and parsley and pick the leaves.1 sprig basil, 1/2 bunch parsley
- Serve the peppers garnished with rice, sauce and herbs.
