Easy Spanish Vegan Paella (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

An easy meatless recipe for the traditional Spanish rice dish! This Vegan Paella is gluten-free, allergy-free, packed with authentic flavors, and hearty vegetables. A healthy, one-pot, vegetarian dinner that will quickly become a new family favorite!

A delicious meatless twist on the classic! Deviating from authenticity, slightly, but still bringing you all the delicious flavors of a Spanish paella! This one…just happens to be vegan! No need for the meat or seafood in this vegan paella. We swapped it out with hearty veggies like artichokes and hearts of palm! You’re still going to get the meaty textures and bite, but with an extra healthy dose of vegetable nutrition!

What is paella?

Traditional Spanish Paella originated in the Valencia region of Spain around the mid-19th century. There are various types of paella and as the dish has spread worldwide, you’ll find everything under the sun in this rice dish! The most common categories of paella are vegetable, seafood, and mixed, which can be a combination of any and everything. The original Valencian recipe consists of bomba style white rice, green beans, a type of meat, lima beans or butter beans, snails, tomatoes, and a hefty dose of fragrant seasonings including saffron, sweet paprika, and rosemary. Don’t forget the olive oil either (this is prime Mediterranean fare!) In seafood-based paella, you’ll find prawns (shrimp), mussels, cuttlefish, even lobster!

How is it cooked?

Paella is traditionally cooked in a large paella pan over an open fire. The fire is made with pine branches and cones to create a super fragrant smoke to add more flavor to the paella being cooked. Paella actually means “pan” and thus, this entire dish is made in one large open pan to create the most flavorful, aromatic, meal possible.

How to make vegan paella

Since a traditional Valencia paella is vegetable-friendly, it’s already half-way to being vegan. No dairy or eggs to worry about; no gluten, soy, or nuts either! Paella is a pretty allergy-friendly meal to begin with and making it meatless and shellfish-free is as simple as swapping in some “meaty” vegetables!

What you need:

• Red Bell Pepper
• Onion
• Garlic
• Artichoke Hearts
• Hearts of Palm
• Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
• Green Peas (or Green Beans)
• Medium-Grain White Rice
• Vegetable Stock
• Olive Oil
• Paprika
• Saffron (or Turmeric!)
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Fresh Lemon

What type of rice should you use?

Paella is traditionally made with the Spanish rice, Bomba rice. You can order it online, but it may be hard to find in-stores. Instead, you can choose another short to medium grain rice such as Arborio rice or Valencia rice. Something that absorbs the flavors but doesn’t become mush.

How to cook vegan paella:

1. Start by sauteing the veggies in a large wide skillet or pot.
2. Add the rice, stock, and aromatics.
3. Bring everything to a boil, before reducing the heat and letting the dish simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice has cooked through to achieve an al-dente bite (again, you don’t want mush!)

In simplest terms, that’s the easy overview of a simple paella! If you want to get a little fancier, you can take this non-traditional paella to the next level by increasing the heat on the stove to high for the last few minutes to achieve the prized “Socarrat” toast to the bottom of the rice. It’s the crispy, caramelized, toasted crust of rice at the bottom of the pan that is prized and takes a bit of skill to achieve!

What does paella taste like?

Since we’re skipping the meat and seafood and we’re not cooking this over a wonderfully smoked fire, how will we still be able to achieve such a luxurious, authentic paella taste? To achieve the smokiness you’ll be using smoked paprika as well as sweet. Rosemary will give you the pine earthiness. You’ll still get all the classic flavors from the tomato, onion, garlic, and distinct flavor from the artichokes. The meaty textures are still there from the artichoke hearts and hearts of palm. Paella is always finished off this a bright burst of fresh lemon juice to balance things out.

How to serve

Spanish paella is made in a wide large pan over fire and thus, was meant to feed a crowd directly from the pan! Since you’re probably not going to serve it that way (campfire food?), just dish it out onto plates! The other thing about paella is that it needs to rest after cooking to allow the flavors to properly develop (just like resting meat off the grill!) You can make paella ahead of time then store it as you would a typical casserole type dish. It’s best served the day you made it, however.

Other yummy rice dishes:

• One-Pot Louisiana Red Beans & Rice
• One-Pot Vegan Dirty Rice
• Beetroot Risotto
• Rice Stuffed Dolmades

Easy Spanish Vegan Paella

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Last thing to do it get an actual paella pan, because I guarantee paella is going to become a family favorite and part of the weekly rotation! These regional favorites become classic for a reason and now you can make some vegan paella right at home, on the stove, in about 30 minutes!

So tell me:

+ Have you ever tried paella?

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