This vegetable paella is so good you’ll barely notice there isn’t any seafood! It’s deliciously spiced and fragrant and packed with flavor and fresh veggies.
This vegetable paella is amazing. It’s simple and vegetarian and bursting with flavor.
You might be curious about the vegetarian part, like…doesn’t paella usually contain seafood? Well yes! But you can certainly make a vegetarian version and that’s what we’ve done here.
The selection of veggies and spices creates such a wonderful unique flavor that no one will miss the seafood.
Also check out our mushroom risotto and risotto allo zafferano for more delicious rice based dinner options.
How To Make Vegetable Paella
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- There are a few steps involved, but it’s really not complicated at all once we break it down.
- To start with you want to heat vegetable stock in a saucepan. Break up the saffron threads by crumbling it with your fingers into the stock. Bring the stock to a simmer and then let it simmer for one minute. Then turn down the heat and just keep it warm.
- Now heat some olive oil in a paella pan. Add in chopped onions and yellow bell pepper. Sauté until softened.
- Add in sliced portobello mushrooms and marinated artichokes and sauté until softened.
- Now add in some sliced cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, capers, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add in your Spanish paella rice along with a little more olive oil and stir so that the rice is mixed in. Cook for a minute to lightly toast the rice, stirring occasionally so that the rice is spread evenly across the pan.
- Now pour over your vegetable stock with saffron threads and add in some salt and pepper. Now it’s very important that you do NOT stir the rice from this point onwards.
- Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for a couple of minutes before reducing the heat leaving it to simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. You will be able to see the stock reducing in the pan as it cooks.
- When the stock has cooked off, use a spoon to gently lift the rice and see if there is any liquid at the bottom of the pan. The liquid should have all cooked off and the rice should be soft but firm.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add some frozen (thawed) peas and black kalamata olives to the top of the rice. Don’t mix them in. Cover the pan with foil and let the paella rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the foil, mix in your peas and olives and your paella is ready to serve.
How To Serve Vegetable Paella
Serve your paella topped with some fresh chopped parsley and slices of lemon. This recipe makes a large portion that easily serves 4-6 people as a main course.
Vegetarian Paella Recipe Tips
Paella pan: This recipe is ideal in a paella pan but it’s not essential to have one. The crucial factor in cooking paella is that the rice is able to spread out evenly across the pan so that it cooks evenly. So you can use a regular skillet/frying pan but it should be at least 12 inches round.
Paella rice: The ideal rice for paella is called Bomba rice. In a pinch you can use risotto rice (also called arborio rice) but it’s less ideal.
Saffron Threads: Saffron threads create the yellow color and they also bring it with the flavor! However, if you can’t get saffron threads you can use turmeric in a pinch, but it won’t have the same flavor.
Don’t stir: One you have added the vegetable stock with saffron threads to your pan then you must not stir it at all. Paella is not meant to be creamy/starchy like risotto and if you stir it, then this is what will happen. So the most crucial tip to getting good paella is not to stir it after the stock goes in.
Storing and Freezing
Leftover paella stays good in the fridge (covered) for 4-5 days.
It is also okay to freeze it, but the rice may become slightly mushy once thawed. So it’s not the most ideal dish for freezing in that respect.
More Veggie Dinner Recipes
Vegetable Paella
Ingredients
- 4 cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 tsp Saffron Threads
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin, Divided
- 1 Medium Onion Chopped
- 1 Medium Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped
- 2 Large Portobello Mushrooms Sliced
- ⅔ cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts Quartered
- ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
- ½ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes Sliced
- 2 Tbsp Capers
- 2 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Sweet Paprika
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 and ½ cups Spanish Bomba Rice Uncooked
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Frozen Peas Thawed
- ½ cup Black Olives Kalamata, Sliced
For Serving:
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Lemon Slices
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add vegetable stock to a saucepan and break up the saffron threads by crumbling it with your fingers into the stock. Bring the stock to a simmer and then let it simmer for one minute. Turn down the heat and just keep it warm.
- Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a paella pan. Add in the chopped onions and yellow bell pepper. Sauté until softened.
- Add the sliced portobello mushrooms and marinated artichokes and sauté until softened.
- Add the sliced cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, capers, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add the Spanish paella rice along with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and stir so that the rice is mixed in. Cook for a minute to lightly toast the rice, stirring occasionally so that the rice is spread evenly across the pan.
- Pour over the vegetable stock with saffron threads and add in the salt and pepper. From this point onwards do NOT stir the rice.
- Bring it to a simmer and let it simmer for a couple of minutes before reducing the heat. Leave it to simmer for around 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. You will be able to see the stock reducing in the pan as it cooks.
- When the stock has cooked off, use a spoon to gently lift the rice and see if there is any liquid at the bottom of the pan. The liquid should have all cooked off and the rice should be soft but firm.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the frozen (thawed) peas and black kalamata olives to the top of the rice. Don't mix them in. Cover the pan with foil and let the paella rest for 10 minutes.
- Now remove the foil and mix in your peas and olives. Your paella is ready to serve. Top with chopped fresh parsley, lemon slices and ground black pepper.
Video
Notes
- Paella pan: It’s ideal to use a paella pan in this recipe. We use one from Le Creuset that is 12 inches round and works wonderfully. However, you can also make this in a regular skillet/frying pan. The crucial factor is that it must be wide enough for the rice to be able to spread out evenly across it and cook evenly. So it needs to be at least 12 inches round. If you have a bigger pan, up to 14 inches round, that will also work great.
- Paella rice: The ideal rice to use in your paella is called Bomba rice (linked above in the ingredients list). In a pinch you can use risotto (arborio) rice but it’s less ideal.
- Saffron Threads: The saffron threads create the yellow color and they also contribute to the flavor! If you can’t get hold of them then you can use turmeric in a pinch, but it won’t have the same flavor.
- Don’t stir your paella: Once you have added the vegetable stock with saffron threads to your pan then you must not stir it at all. Paella is not meant to be creamy/starchy like risotto and if you stir it, then this is what will happen. So the most crucial tip to getting good paella is not to stir it after the stock goes in.
- Leftovers: Leftover paella stays good in the fridge (covered) for 4-5 days.
We made this last night! It was so good. And you’re right, no one missed the seafood, the flavors were so delicious. Will definitely make this again.
This is awesome Nadine! Thanks so much for the great review. xo