Description
This vibrant vegan paella is a flavorful, plant-based twist on the classic Spanish dish. Featuring brown basmati rice simmered in a saffron-infused vegetable broth, it’s loaded with colorful vegetables like red peppers, broad beans, and courgettes, all cooked together to create a hearty and aromatic meal perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Stock and Flavoring
- 2 generous pinches of saffron
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
- 1 litre boiling water
Vegetables and Rice
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 onions (320g), finely chopped
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tbsp soft thyme leaves
- 200g brown basmati rice
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 320g frozen broad beans
- 320g courgettes, halved and sliced
- 15g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the saffron stock: Put the kettle on to boil. Place the saffron, tomato purée, and vegetable bouillon powder into a large heatproof bowl, and pour over 1 litre of boiling water. Stir gently and set aside to infuse.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the rapeseed oil in a large paella pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to soften and become translucent.
- Add the vegetables and herbs: Add the diced red peppers, grated garlic, and thyme leaves to the pan. Cook together for a few more minutes until fragrant and the peppers begin to soften.
- Toast the rice with spices: Stir in the brown basmati rice and smoked paprika. Continue to cook while stirring for about one minute to lightly toast the rice and incorporate the spices.
- Simmer the paella: Pour the prepared saffron stock over the rice mixture. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes, allowing the rice to begin absorbing the flavorful broth.
- Add remaining vegetables: Uncover the pan and gently stir the mixture. Add the frozen broad beans and sliced courgettes. Return the pan to the simmer, cover again, and cook for another 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Rest and garnish: Remove the pan from heat and let the paella stand, covered, for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the rice to finish cooking through.
- Serve and enjoy: Stir in the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve half of the paella immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing over. The remaining portion can be chilled for up to three days and reheated in the microwave until piping hot before serving.
Notes
- Using brown basmati rice adds nuttiness and extra fiber to the dish, though it requires slightly longer cooking times than white rice.
- If you do not have a paella pan, a large, wide frying pan will work just as well for cooking this paella.
- Be sure to cover the pan while simmering to ensure the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the saffron-infused stock.
- This recipe can be customized with other seasonal vegetables or beans according to preference.
- Leftover paella stores well in the refrigerator for up to three days and can be reheated gently in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Spanish
Keywords: vegan paella, plant-based paella, Spanish rice dish, saffron paella, vegan recipes, healthy vegan meals
