Vegetable Paella

 An easy recipe for vegetable paella with the flavours of Spain. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

VEGETABLE PAELLA

Paella was originally a meal cooked by farmers and labourers over a fire with whatever vegetables were handy and rice.

Although it's thought of as a seafood dish today, the original would have been nearer to this vegetable paella.

Valencia in Spain is the home of paella and as it's one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean, it was natural that seafood was gradually added to the dish as it was a big part of people's diet.

The name paella actually comes from the pan it's cooked in rather than the dish itself.

You can read more about paella and its history on The Paella Company website.

A RAINBOW RICE DISH

This colourful rice dish is packed with vegetables, rice, spices and herbs.

It can be cooked in a large frying pan, wok or a shallow casserole pan, which is what I used.

It's a really easy rice dish and it's packed with flavour.

It's served with wedges of lemon, which are squeezed over the dish. It really does make a difference to the flavour.

My husband and I love this dish.

I hope you try it.

HELLO FRESH

This recipe comes from Hello Fresh.

Hello Fresh are a recipe box delivery service. 

To use their service, pick a plan, sign up and you'll receive tasty recipes delivered directly to your door with step-by-step instructions, nutritional information and weighed out ingredients, to make life easier.

But, did you know they also have a recipe hub, where you can choose a recipe to try at home?

Check out their recipes page and their most popular recipes.

They have a huge selection of vegetarian and vegan recipes. You'll find the vegan recipes within the vegetarian recipes section or you can search 'vegan'.

They kindly allowed me to try one of their recipes and share it with you. I picked this vegetable paella.

I previously tried and shared their Grilled Aubergine, Asparagus & Chilli Spaghetti, which was equally tasty. Do try that one too.

RECIPES TO LOOK OUT FOR

• Baked Tofu with Peanut Satay Sauce
• Lentil Sambar Curry
• Satay Aubergine
• Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl

VEGETABLE PAELLA INGREDIENTS

• OLIVE OIL - or vegetable oil
• PEPPERS - a mix of colours
• GROUND TURMERIC - adds colour and flavour
• LEMON PEEL - finely grated peel
• MUSHROOMS - the original recipe called for chestnut mushrooms, but I used closed cup white mushrooms
• FRESH PARSLEY - curly or flat-leaf parsley
• RICE - basmati rice
• GROUND PAPRIKA - plain or smoked
• VEGETABLE STOCK POT - or vegetable stock cubes
• FRESH ROSEMARY - you could also use dried
• CHERRY TOMATOES - or other small tomatoes
• SALT & PEPPER - to season
• LEMON WEDGES - to serve

TIPS FOR MAKING VEGETABLE PAELLA

1. You need a big shallow pan to make paella.
2. If you don't have a paella pan, you can use a large frying pan, a flat-based wok or a shallow casserole pan.
3. Traditional paella is made with Spanish bomba rice, which is sometimes called paella rice, but this quick recipe is made with basmati rice.
4. When you have added the rice, give it one quick stir then step away from the pan. You actually want it to catch on the bottom as it adds lots of flavour and is the traditional way to serve it.
5. Once it's cooked, take it of the heat, cover it with a clean tea towel and let it rest for a few minutes.
6. When you serve the paella, make sure you scrape some of the browned rice from the bottom of the pan, it's called the 'socorat' and tastes great.
7. Serve paella with fresh lemon wedges. The freshly squeezed lemon makes the paella zing. 

HOW MANY DOES THIS RECIPE SERVE?

After I made this paella, I would have said it could serve 2 greedy portions, 3 standard portions or 4 small portions.

Now I've made it and served it up, I would say one small portion and a huge portion for your hungry husband. I'll let you decide.

I would say it would serve 2 for dinner or 3-4 for lunch with a side salad or some crusty bread.

DOES PAELLA HAVE TO BE EATEN RIGHT AWAY?

Paella is best when freshly cooked, but it can be chilled and served later.

As with all rice dishes, remove from the cooking pan to cool quickly, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, no longer than that as you have to be careful with rice.

To reheat, add a little extra stock and heat through in the original pan or a microwave.

CAN PAELLA BE FROZEN?

Paella can be frozen for up to 1 month and no longer.

Once more you need to remove it from the pan it was cooked in quickly to cool it, then get it into freezer bags or tubs quickly and into the freezer.

DO NOT LEAVE IT SITTING ABOUT or keep it in the freezer for more than a month. After one month it should be thrown away, so make sure you label it.

To defrost, place in the fridge overnight, then reheat it for lunch or dinner with a little extra stock until piping hot.

MORE VEGAN RICE RECIPES TO TRY

Here are a few more sweet and savoury rice dishes you may like to try.

Savoury Rice Dishes

• Creamy Mushroom & Leek Risotto - arborio rice
• Homemade Nandos Rice - basmati rice
• Homemade Pilau Rice - basmati rice
• Mushroom Rice Bake with Gravy - basmati rice
• Potato, Leek & Spinach Soup with Rice - basmati rice
• Roasted Vegetable Rice Bake - basmati rice
• Wild Rice & Watercress Salad - wild rice

Sweet Rice Dishes

• Creamy Rice Pudding with Raspberry Compote - pudding rice
• Creamy Rice Pudding with Toffee Bananas - pudding rice

Next, check out Easy Vegan Rice Recipes for Lunch or Dinner.

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HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE PAELLA

Scroll down for step-by-step photos followed by a full printable recipe. If you don't have a printer, hit the print button, then choose save as PDF.

STEP 1

Saute the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil.

STEP 2

Saute the mushrooms until soft and all the liquid they released has been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 3

In the same pan, add a little more oil, then add sliced peppers and tomatoes.

Cook for a few minutes until starting to soften.

STEP 4

Add ground paprika, ground turmeric and chopped fresh rosemary to the pan.

If you don't have fresh rosemary, you may use dried.

Stir in and cook gently for another couple of minutes.

STEP 5

Add the rice, lemon peel and half the parsley to the pan.

Mix in and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the rice to absorb the oil and spices.

STEP 6

Add the hot stock to the pan and re-add the cooked mushrooms.

STEP 7

Give it one good stir, then leave it to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, but resist the urge to stir it as you want the bottom of the rice to brown.

STEP 8

Once the rice is cooked and has absorbed the liquid, it's ready.

Remove from the heat and cover with a clean tea towel for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with the rest of the parsley scattered over it and lemon wedges to squeeze over the paella.

Enjoy!

paella, vegetable paella, vegan paella, vegetarian paella, Spanish rice, rice, rice dish, vegetable rice, rice recipe, Spanish recipe, vegan Spanish recipe, vegan rice

dinner

Spanish, vegan

Yield: 2-3

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Print

Vegetable Paella

An easy recipe for vegetable paella with the flavours of Spain. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
• ½ orange or yellow pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
• 80g/ 3 oz cherry tomatoes or other small tomatoes, halved
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 150g/1 cup basmati rice
• peel from ½ lemon, finely grated
• 5 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 500ml/ 1 3/4 cups vegetable stock (1 vegetable stock pot or 2 vegetable stock cubes)
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

1. Saute the mushrooms and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large casserole pan or frying pan until soft and all the liquid the mushrooms have released is absorbed. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the other tablespoon of oil into the pan, then add the peppers and tomatoes and cook on high for a few minutes until starting to soften.
3. Add the paprika, turmeric and rosemary and stir in.
4. Add the rice, half the parsley and the lemon peel, stir in and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the rice to absorb any oil and the flavours.
5. Add the mushrooms back into the pan with the stock. Give it one good stir, then leave it to cook for 15 -20 minutes until all the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Resist the temptation to stir, you want the rice on the bottom of the pan to brown.
6. Once it is cooked, remove from the heat and cover with a clean tea towel for a couple of minutes before serving.
7. Scatter the rest of the parsley over it and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the paella. It gives it a wonderful zing.
8. Enjoy!

Notes:

Paella is best when freshly cooked, but it can be chilled and served later. As with all rice dishes, remove from the cooking pan to cool quickly, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, no longer than that as you have to be careful with rice.

To reheat, add a little extra stock and heat through in the original pan or a microwave.

Paella can be frozen for up to 1 month and no longer. Once more you need to remove it from the pan it was cooked in quickly to cool it, then get it into freezer bags or tubs quickly and into the freezer.

DO NOT LEAVE IT SITTING ABOUT or keep it in the freezer for more than a month. After one month it should be thrown away, so make sure you label it.

To defrost, place in the fridge overnight, then reheat it for lunch or dinner with a little extra stock until piping hot.

Calories

359.29

Fat (grams)

15.68

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.31

Carbs (grams)

61.40

Fiber (grams)

10.64

Net carbs

50.75

Sugar (grams)

14.67

Protein (grams)

9.69

Sodium (milligrams)

751.45

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

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Disclosure: I worked with Hello Fresh on this recipe. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.