Vegan Paella Recipe

According to Recipe Tin Eats, paella is a traditional Spanish rice dish with many types of seafood as well as sausage. Health coach and recipe developer, Miriam Hahn, brings us this vegan version void of meat and seafood, but packed with lots of vegetables.

This meal is very versatile. Hahn likes making this dish whenever she is craving comfort food or "for entertaining or even a weeknight dinner." She usually serves it up with "a fresh green salad, a cucumber tomato salad or steamed broccoli." She also notes that "if you want to add more protein to this meal, you can add some Beyond Meat Sausage or a can of beans."

Hahn notes that refrigerated leftovers keep well for up to a week. Because this can last so well in the fridge, Hahn notes that it is "a good meal prep recipe." We love the idea of making a batch of this on the weekend and having it prepped and ready to go throughout our busy weeks.

To make this vegan paella, start by gathering your ingredients. You'll need vegetable broth, saffron threads, oil, onion, red peppers, mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, tomato, garlic, capers, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, short grain rice, peas, parsley, and lemon slices. Although, the parsley and lemon slices are optional and used primarily for garnish. 

To start, pour the vegetable broth into a medium-sized saucepan. Add the saffron and set the stove to simmer. You'll simmer the broth until it's added to the rice mixture. Hahn notes that "saffron can be hard to find and [it's] pretty expensive," however, she adds that it's "a nice flavor to have in this traditional dish." We happen to agree! It's worth it if you can track it down.

In a large pan or stock pot, add the oil. Heat the burner to medium heat and add the chopped onions and chopped red bell pepper. Allow these veggies to sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. You want the veggies to cook down a bit before adding the rice and broth.

When the veggies are ready, go ahead and add most of the remaining ingredients. This includes the artichoke hearts, tomato, garlic, capers, Old Bay, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Give this mixture a good stir, then add the rice. Go ahead and stir again.

Add the saffron-seasoned broth to the pot and give the entire mixture a stir so it's well-combined. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow this mixture to cook on low for 45 minutes, or whatever the package directions of the rice calls for. 

As Hahn notes, she uses short-grain rice, but "the traditional rice to use for paella is Bomba rice, but that can be hard to find, so any short-grain rice will do." Hahn also notes that long-grain rice works in a pinch as well.

Once the 45 minutes are up, remove the lid and check the doneness of the rice. You want the rice to have absorbed most of the liquid. If the rice needs more time, continue to cook. If not, feel free to add in the peas. Give the dish a stir to incorporate the peas into the rice. Then top with parsley and lemon slices, if desired.