We cook the meatballs in the Varoma while the vegetables simmer below. One bowl, two levels, done in 60 minutes.
This bake is the reason we use the Varoma so often. While the meatballs steam above, the vegetables cook in stock below. No second pot, no frying pan for the meatballs, no separate steamer. Everything at once, everything gently cooked.
Meatball Bake with Vegetables and Tortellini, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 18 ✓
- 200 g Gouda
- 500 g Tortellini fresh, from the chilled section
- 1 bread roll from the day before
- 80 g water
- 2 spring onions
- 500 g mixed minced meat
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 10 g rapeseed oil
- 1 onion
- 20 g olive oil
- 500 g green beans fresh
- 200 g red pepper
- 400 g vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried Italian herbs
Instructions 0 / 12
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1
Grate the cheese.
Place the cheese in the mixing bowl and grate for 6 sec / speed 8, then set aside.
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2
Cook the tortellini.
Cook the tortellini according to the packet instructions.
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3
Soak the bread roll.
Place the bread roll in a small bowl, pour over the water and leave to soak briefly.
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4
Chop the spring onions.
Place the spring onions in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 6 and scrape down with the spatula.
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5
Mix the meatball mixture.
Add the minced meat, the well squeezed-out bread roll, eggs, salt, paprika and pepper and mix for 10 sec / speed 5.
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6
Cook the meatballs.
Grease the Varoma and Varoma tray with oil, shape the meat mixture into small balls about 4 cm in size with wet hands and distribute them across the Varoma and Varoma tray.
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7
Peel the onion.
Peel the onion, halve it, place in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and scrape down with the spatula.
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8
Sweat the onion.
Add the oil and sweat for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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9
Prepare the beans.
Meanwhile, wash the beans, trim them and cut into pieces about 5 cm long. Wash the pepper, halve it, remove the seeds and cut into strips.
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10
Cook the beans.
Add the beans, pepper, vegetable stock, salt and herbs to the mixing bowl, place the Varoma on top and cook for 20 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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11
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
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12
Bake the gratin.
Place the tortellini in a baking dish, spread the vegetables on top, add half the cheese and mix with the spatula. Place the meatballs on top, scatter over the remaining cheese and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes until golden.
Tip: Instead of vegetable stock, you can use 400 g of chopped tomatoes seasoned with 1 to 1.5 tsp vegetable bouillon powder.
Nutrition per serving
Why steam the meatballs in the Varoma
Frying meatballs in a pan means fat splatters, some turn dark on the outside while others are still pink inside, and after 12 meatballs the pan is full. In the Varoma they steam evenly, all at once. The 20 minutes at Varoma temperature is enough for 4 cm meatballs to cook through completely. They stay juicy because the steam does not dry them out the way direct heat does.
The day-old bread roll in the meat mixture absorbs liquid and holds the meatballs together. Without a roll they tend to fall apart during steaming. We squeeze the soaked roll out well so that only the bread remains, with no puddle of water. The roll then reabsorbs moisture from the steam and keeps the meatballs light.
Fresh beans, not frozen or tinned
We use fresh green beans, not frozen, not from a tin. Frozen beans turn mushy during the 20-minute cooking time because they are already par-cooked. Tinned beans have no bite left at all. Fresh beans cut into 5 cm pieces keep their texture after 20 min / Varoma / speed 1. Cooked through, but not falling apart.
We add the pepper at the same time as the beans, not before. Pepper needs less cooking time than beans. When both go in together, the pepper is soft enough for the bake by the end, but not reduced to a mush. The strips stay visible and add colour.
Cook the tortellini separately, not in the mixing bowl
We cook the tortellini in a regular pot following the packet instructions. Not in the Thermomix®, not in the Varoma. Tortellini need vigorously boiling water and plenty of space. In the mixing bowl they would stick to the blades; in the Varoma they would clump together. A separate pot adds 10 minutes of effort, but the tortellini stay individual and al dente.
We place the cooked tortellini in the baking dish, spread the vegetables on top and mix everything with the spatula. Only then do the meatballs go on top. If the meatballs sit beneath the vegetables, the cheese and heat cannot reach them. On top, they get the browning and the crispy cheese layer.
Gouda as the cheese, not Mozzarella
Gouda at 45% fat melts evenly and turns golden brown. Mozzarella releases too much water and makes the bake watery. Parmesan alone is too dry. We grate 200 g of Gouda at speed 8 in 6 seconds, add half underneath the vegetables and scatter the rest over the meatballs. The lower half binds the liquid from the vegetable stock; the upper half forms the crust.
The 20-minute baking time at 200°C fan is enough for the crust. Longer and the meatballs dry out; shorter and the cheese is only melted, not browned. We bake on the middle shelf, not the top. From the top, only the cheese would colour while the meatballs stayed pale.
Vegetable stock instead of tomatoes
The recipe works with vegetable stock or with chopped tomatoes. We prefer stock because the beans keep their colour. Tomatoes turn everything slightly orange and add acidity that not everyone enjoys. If you use tomatoes, season with 1 to 1.5 tsp vegetable bouillon powder, otherwise the flavour falls flat. The stock is already seasoned.
We add the Italian herbs directly to the mixing bowl with the vegetables. 2 tsp of dried herbs is enough for 500 g of beans and 200 g of pepper. More and the bake tastes only of herbs, no longer of vegetables. We do not use fresh herbs because they lose their flavour during the 20-minute cooking time.
Using up leftovers after 2 days
The bake keeps covered in the fridge for 2 days. The meatballs become drier when reheated, as minced meat loses moisture on the second heating. We warm individual portions in the microwave at 600 W for 2 minutes, not in the oven. The oven dries out the surface. The microwave heats from within.
Freezing does not work well. The tortellini become mushy when thawed, and the beans lose their texture. Anyone needing larger quantities should double the recipe and plan two meals on consecutive days.
Goes well with: soured cream.
Similar bakes include our schnitzel and pasta gratin and the minced meat and sauerkraut bake. Both use the same Varoma parallel logic.
More Varoma recipes: Varoma guide, chicken with vegetables and rice, salmon with broccoli.
