Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Chef, and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Vegan Paella! Isn’t it just the most beautiful looking thing?
Rice, vegetables, saffron broth, and tomatoes. Mmmm… I had to hide the rest of the pan so BL and I didn’t accidentally consume the whole thing.
We’ve been to Barcelona a few times, spending a week there just a few years ago and while I know that paella isn’t considered a Catalonian dish, we ate our body weight in vegetarian paella that vacation and I’ve been making it at home every since.
I don’t know if this is authentic, but’s it’s pretty darn tasty. My sister worked in a Spanish restaurant for years, so in addition to our Spanish travels I consider myself an unofficial connoisseur of tapas, tempranillo wine, and vegetarian paella. This is about as good as it gets.
A word on the rice: I used Arborio rice in this, not Bomba. Before you throw a shoe at me, here’s my excuse: St. Louis is not ready for paella making. After heading to three different grocery stores to find this special short-grained white rice, I was 0 for 3.
And you know what? I really couldn’t tell a difference. I’ve heard of people using sushi rice and rinsing it a few times before hand, but I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of work. As an Italian babe, I’ve always got risotto rice lying around and it works perfectly in this dish.
However, long grain rice won’t work the same.
Another important consideration in paella making is a proper pan. A wide, shallow dish is best for this so break out your biggest sauté or frying pan and don’t overload it. Watch how I make it in the video below!
I actually use my large grill pan and it worked perfectly. If you really want to imagine that you are in Spain, then I recommend serving this with romesco sauce & bread for an appetizer and Red Wine Sangria to wash it all down.
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Vegan Paella! A healthy plant-based and gluten-free dinner. Packed with vegetables and a fragrant saffron-broth, this vegan paella is a must make!
Short-grain white rice is the best here. I often use Arborio (the same rice as I use in risotto) for this.
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(8 comments) leave a comment
This is so good, I wanted seconds! Will be making this again for sure
Thank you for sharing!
Can I use short grain brown rice in this recipe?
This looks amazing! I’m doing a Spanish themed dinner party for my dads 50th so I’ll have to give this paella a go 🙂
Your paella looks delicious! I can have a big bowl of this. Yum!
Thanks Anne!
Paella has been something I’ve wanted to tackle for a while. This looks perfect!
Thanks Kiersten, this version is a keeper! Let me know if you try it!