Chickpea Vegetable Paella (oil-free vegan)
This is the recipe for when you're craving Valencian paella but trying to avoid cooking with oil. This well-tested vegetable paella recipe cooked in a wide, shallow cast iron skillet will feed 4 people. It's a full-flavored oil-free vegan recipe that'll become a family favorite.
Servings: 4
Calories: 379kcal
Equipment
- Wide, shallow skillet or paella pan I'm using a 3.6 quart enameled cast iron wide, shallow pan for this. A slightly larger pan would also work. A wide and shallow paella-type pan is best. Does not have to be cast iron. Stainless steel or carbon steel will also work.
Ingredients
- ½ red bell pepper cut into long strips ½ inch thick
- ½ yellow onion diced
- ¼ cauliflower about 3 cups, cut into florets
- 4 ounces button mushrooms cut into thick slices
- 5 asparagus spears tough ends removed and then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup chickpeas about ½ of a 15-ounce can, drained & rinsed
- 1 ½ cups paella rice (bomba or redondo variety) 300g
- ½ can/jar quartered artichoke hearts drained
Broth
- 2 ½ cups vegan no-chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 pinch saffron threads or ¼ teaspoon ground saffron powder
- 1 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika ñora pepper, if available
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric for color (instead you can add extra saffron)
Sofrito
- ½ large roma tomato cut
- 5 cloves garlic whole
- 5 stalks fresh parsley cut into 2-inch pieces
- ¼ red bell pepper cut
Serving
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- garlic cashew aioli
- green salad
- sliced bread
Instructions
- If using sushi rice as a substitute for paella rice, rinse the sushi rice under cool water and set aside to dry. Spanish paella rice varieties should not be rinsed.
- Cut vegetables into small pieces or slices and set aside.
- Prepare sofrito by adding the tomato, garlic, parsley and chopped ¼ of a bell pepper to a small food processor or blender. Process/blend until everything is combined and looks like the consistency of a chunky salsa/chimichurri. Set aside.½ large roma tomato, 5 cloves garlic, 5 stalks fresh parsley, ¼ red bell pepper
- Heat pan over medium heat for 30-60 seconds.
- Add red bell pepper strips to pan. Dry-saute until a little charred on the edges, then transfer bell pepper to a plate or bowl and set aside.½ red bell pepper
- Add vegetable stock, saffron, paprika, salt and turmeric to a large heat-proof measuring bowl. Stir and microwave until hot. (You can do this on the stove instead in a small saucepan on one of the other burners.) Keep warm until ready to add to pan, but do not boil it (we don't want water to evaporate).2 ½ cups vegan no-chicken or vegetable broth, 1 pinch saffron threads, 1 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika, ½ tablespoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Add other vegetables to pan, in order of hardness. Onions, then cauliflower, then mushrooms, asparagus and chickpeas. Saute just to brown a little (they will continue to cook with the rice later).½ yellow onion, ¼ cauliflower, 5 asparagus spears, 4 ounces button mushrooms, 1 cup chickpeas
- Add prepared sofrito to pan and saute for a few minutes.
- Add rice to pan and stir to spread the rice out evenly.1 ½ cups paella rice (bomba or redondo variety)
- Add hot broth to pan and gently stir.
- Arrange the reserved bell pepper strips and the quartered artichoke hearts on top of the rice in an artful display. Use your stirring spoon to gently press them into the broth if they're resting on top. We want them to cook in the broth to soak up the flavor.½ can/jar quartered artichoke hearts
- Turn heat down a little bit to medium-low heat and cover.
- Cook paella over medium-low to medium heat for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR OR UNCOVER. If you smell it burning, turn the heat down.
- After 20 minutes, uncover and check on the rice in several spots to see if it's done. (If some parts are done and others are not and there is no liquid left, you can add a little more broth or water to those areas and cover and cook a few more minutes.)
- Once it's done, turn off the heat and keep the paella covered and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with lemon wedges, garlic cashew aioli, sliced bread and green salad.1 lemon, green salad, sliced bread, garlic cashew aioli
Video
Notes
Nutrition facts are for paella only and do not include any aioli, bread or salad served alongside.
Nutrition
Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 1484mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1596IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg
