Vegan Rainbow Paella
This vegan paella is named rainbow paella because it is packed full of delicious colourful vegetables making it nutritious and delicious.
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Vibrant veggies, soft paella rice, and flavourful smoked paprika come together to make this vegan rainbow paella the perfect dish for any weather.
What is Paella?
Paella is a rice dish originally from Valencia. It takes its name from the wide, shallow pan traditionally used to cook the dish. Paella is a word which in Valencian simply means ‘frying pan’.
Traditional paella uses round-grain rice, varieties of green bean, and various meats (but we prefer to make vegan paella with all vegetables!) Paella’s yellow colour originally came from saffron, but turmeric or calendula can be used as substitutes.
Where Can I Find Vegan Paella Rice?
Paella rice is usually vegan by default, and is available in most supermarkets. Vegan paella rice is usually called ‘paella rice’ but you can also look out for a variety of rice called ‘bomba’, or round-grain rice.
Arborio, or short grain rice, can be used in place of paella rice if necessary, but it will not produce the same flavour or texture as traditional paella rice.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp olive oil
- 0.5 0.5 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 1 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 31.25 31.25 g French beans, trimmed and cut into lengths
- 0.25 0.25 small red pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 0.25 0.25 small yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 37.5 37.5 g frozen peas
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp sundried tomato paste
- 0.25 0.25 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 0.5 bay leaves
- 0.125 0.125 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 62.5 62.5 g paella rice
- 125 125 hot vegetable stock
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 43.75 43.75 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 43.75 43.75 g olives, pitted
- 0.75 0.75 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 2 lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a large, wide pan and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until beginning to soften before adding the rest of the vegetables. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, paprika, bay leaves and rice (and chilli, if using) to the vegetables in the pan, and stir to ensure the rice has a light coating of oil.
- Pour in the hot stock, and add the tomatoes, olives and some seasoning. Mix everything together well once and leave to cook, not stirring, for 12 minutes, over a medium heat.
- After this time, taste the rice to check that it’s cooked (it should still have a slight firmness) and stir through the parsley.
- Serve straight from the pan, garnished with lots of lemon wedges and a green salad.
Each 100g serving provides: Calories 146, Fat 3.2g, Saturates 0.5g, Carbohydrates 22g, Sugars 2.6g, Protein 4.6g, Salt 0.87g.
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