Paella is a popular Valencian dish. It is of many types like Valencian paella, seafood paella, vegetable paella, and mixed paella. If you are a vegetarian and looking for a unique vegetarian recipe for yourself or a party, you can make vegetable paella. Here I am going to share a vegetarian paella recipe that is just apt for a dinner party. Moreover, it is entirely vegan, free of gluten, and baked completely. So, it is healthy as well.
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- Cooked chickpeas – 1 ½ cups
- Olive oil – 3 tbsp
- Brown rice, short grain – 2 cups
- Chopped yellow – 1 medium size
- Minced garlic – 6 cloves
- Salt – to taste
- Smoked paprika – 2 tsp
- Tomato – 1 can, diced
- Black pepper powder – to taste
- Kalamata olives – ½ cups
- Vegetable stock – 3
- Saffron – ½ tsp
- White wine – ¼ cup
- Peas – 1/2 cup
- Marinated artichoke – 1 jar
- Red bell pepper, cut into strips – 2
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
- Lemon wedge- for garnishing
- Chopped parsley – ½ cup
Directions
- Keep the racks in the lower and upper thirds inside the oven so that there is enough space to put in a large skillet or a Dutch oven. The skillet or the Dutch oven should be oven safe.
- Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add oil in the skillet and once it is hot, add the chopped onion and stir it till it becomes pinkish.
- Mix a pinch of salt, paprika, and minced garlic and fry for about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and stir.
- Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the rice, vegetable stock, saffron, chickpeas, and wine, and mix everything well.
- Now increase the flame and stir occasionally till it starts to boil.
- Next, cover it and put it in the lower rack of the oven.
- Bake for about 50-60 minutes till the rice is soft and all the stock is absorbed.
- In the meantime, take a baking sheet and mix the peppers, artichokes, olives, salt, 1 tbsp of olive oil and black pepper powder.
- Once you mix them well, spread them uniformly on the pan.
- Put the pan on the upper rack and roast them for about 40 minutes till the veggies are soft.
- Take out from the oven and let them cool.
- Add lemon juice, half of the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper. Keep this aside.
- Now take out the lid of the baked rice pot and put it on the stove top.
- Cook for 5 minutes on high flame till the bottom layer of rice becomes brownish.
- Now add the peas along with roasted veggies.
- Cook it for 5 minutes more till all the flavors gel together.
- Decorate with lemon wedges and parsley and serve.
So, next time you organize a party at your house, make this vegetarian paella and give a sweet surprise to your guests. You can make it for your kids or just to surprise your husband.
