Vegetarian Paella Recipe



This Vegetarian Paella Recipe is reminiscent of hot and lazy Spanish meals. Originally from the Valencia region of Spain, Paella is perhaps the most well known of Spanish dishes. Today in any Spanish town or holiday resort you will find a multitude of different paellas available to sample. This paella recipe is a vegetarian one (suitable for vegans) packed with delicious colourful vegetables and sure to satisfy. If cooking for a crowd, you can multiply up the quantities and consider cooking some chicken or prawns on the side for meat eaters to add to their individual portion.

Serves: 2 hungry people

Preparation time: minimal

Cooking time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients for Vegetarian Paella Recipe:

  • 1 Medium Red Onion
  • 2 Garlic Cloves / 2 Teaspoons Garlic Puree
  • 150g (2/3rd cup) Paella Rice
  • Large Pinch of Saffron Threads
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
  • 100 ml White Wine
  • 400ml Vegetable Stock
  • 10 Green Beans 
  • 20 Black Olives (stones removed)
  • 50g (1/4 cup) Roasted Peppers (drained weight)
  • 50g (1/4 cup) Artichoke Hearts  (drained weight)
  • 100g (2/3rd cup)  Frozen Peas
  • Parsley - to garnish
  • Lemon Wedges
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Equipment Needed:

  • Chopping Board and Sharp Knife
  • Measuring Jug
  • Large Paella Pan / Deep Frying or Sautee Pan
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Garlic Crusher (if using fresh garlic)

Method:

  1. Peel and finely chop the onion. Chop and crush the garlic (if using fresh garlic cloves). Place the pan on a medium heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, fry the onion and garlic until soft, approximately 3 minutes, taking care that the onions do not burn.
  2. Add the paella rice and stir well. Leave to cook for a further minute or until all the remaining oil is absorbed into the rice.
  3. Add the herbs and spices and thoroughly mix with the rice. Then pour the wine into the pan and stir until it is all absorbed.
  4. Add all of the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat until the contents are simmering gently and leave for 10 minutes. Stir once or twice during this time just to make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Whilst this is cooking, prepare the remainder of the vegetables. Trim the green beans, remove the roasted peppers, artichokes and olives from their storage liquid and place on kitchen towel to absorb any last bits of oil / water. Chop the peppers and artichokes into 2 cm pieces if the pre-prepared size is larger than this.
  6. Once the 10 minutes are up, add the green beans, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, black olives and frozen peas to the pan and give the whole lot a really good stir. Cook for a further 10 minutes. If the rice starts to stick to the pan during this time, add a generous splash of boiling water.
  7. At this point, the paella should be cooked. Taste test the rice; if it is still a little too hard, leave to cook for an extra minute or two until the rice is soft, but still retains a little bite. Ensure that all the liquid is absorbed, if not, turn up the heat and cook until all the liquid has disappeared.
  8. Finely chop the parsley and cut the lemon into wedges. Garnish the pan with the parsley and bring to the table. Serve into dishes, or allow people to serve themselves. Offer the lemon wedges for people to squeeze over their dish immediately before eating.   

This paella recipe is extremely filling on it's own and does not require any side dishes or bread to accompany it. Of course, a jug of sangria would be the perfect accompaniment to give your guests the authentic Spanish experience!