Vegan ‘Paella’

Last year, I posted the recipe for a Chicken & Prawn Paella. I have prepared this on several occasions, both as a weeknight dinner and also to serve it when we have guests over. It is always a great go-to dish, and with a bottle of wine… it’s just perfect! 😀

For this recipe, I have experimented with substituting the chicken thighs and prawns with other vegetables to make it suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The key ingredient for a great dish is a rich vegetable stock as it adds the complexity of taste. For a vegan dish, make sure that the stock you use is certified as vegan friendly. You can use your favourite vegetables, or what you have available. The below vegetable combo is my favourite so far!

This recipe is definitely not a traditional dish, but a twist on the original Spanish paella dish. It is easy to prepare, a healthy rice dish and full of flavour.

I hope you like it and give it a try. ¡Buen apetito! 🙂

Vegan 'Paella'

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

A vegan twist on the Spanish dish


Ingredients

  • 150g risotto rice
  • 250g vegetable stock, hot
  • pinch of saffron
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 chili pepper
  • 1 carrot
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 can (400g) chickpeas
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 8-10 artichoke hearts (from a jar)
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Dice the onions, carrots, bell peppers and tomatoes. Finely chop the garlic and chili pepper. Infuse the saffron into the vegetable stock.
  2. In a wide pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and bell peppers and sauté for 10 minutes and the onion is soft and translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and chili pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Add the rice and mix with the vegetables.
  5. Add the chickpeas, frozen peas and tomatoes. Pour the hot vegetable stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
  6. Rice should be well cooked and all liquid absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover and leave it to stand for about 10 minutes.
  7. Serve with chopped fresh parsley, quartered artichoke hearts and lemon wedges.



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