easy paella

This authentic recipe for traditional paella valenciana is as simple as it is delicious! Try it for yourself, and taste the real flavors of Spanish rice.

Best Traditional Spanish Paella Recipe

olive oil

chicken

garlic (with cloves separated and peeled)

tomatoes (finely chopped)

butter beans

green peas

frozen green beans

smoked paprika

salt (to taste)

saffron

bay leaves

bomba rice

Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Swirl to coat the entire base of the pan.

Add the garlic, chicken, and rabbit (if using) and fry until browned.

Push the meat away from the center of the pan, and add the tomatoes, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with the paprika and mix to combine.

Using a measuring cup, add enough water to fill the paella pan almost to the top. Record how much water you needed, this will let you know how much rice to use later on. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Keep simmering for 45 mins to an hour, to make a broth.

Once the broth is formed, add a few generous pinches of salt. Also add the saffron and bay leaves. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Stir until the broth becomes a vivid orangey-yellow color. If the color doesn't seem intense enough, add a bit more paprika and another strand of saffron.

Now it's time for the rice! Add half as much rice as you did water to make the broth. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. You'll know when the rice is ready and the broth is gone, as you will hear a faint ticking/cracking coming from the bottom layer of rice.

Serve immediately, straight from the pan. If it's done well, the paella should have a healthy socarrat, the crispy, blackened layer of rice at the bottom!

One of the best smoked paprika recipes, this easy shrimp paella recipe with artichokes is simply stunning. Here's how to make this traditional Spanish recipe!

Easy Paella with Smoked Paprika

onion

garlic

olive oil, divided

shrimp, peel and deveined*

smoked paprika, divided

red pepper flakes

seafood stock or vegetable stock

short grain Bomba rice or arborio rice

peas, water

artichoke hearts,

Lemon lemon

parsley,

Prep the vegetables

 Mince the onion. Mince the garlic. Finely chop the tomatoes, removing the cores but keeping the seeds with their juices.

Measure out the ingredients

Measure out all the remaining ingredients before you start. The cooking process goes fast!

Cook the shrimp

 Dry the shrimp and add it to a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. In your largest skillet or a 4-serving paella pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and saute until it is just barely opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp and set it aside.

Cook the paella

 In the same pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until just translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chopped tomatoes, the remaining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and red pepper flakes, and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, saffron and 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle the rice evenly across the broth and tap the pan with a spoon to evenly spread the rice. Bring to a medium simmer and cook without stirring until liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 22 minutes (adjust the cook time as necessary if using a skillet).

Adjust the heat as necessary

 If your pan is large enough to span multiple burners on your stovetop, adjust the heat on each burner so you achieve a steady medium simmer. Rotate the pan every few minutes for an even cook.

Add the artichokes and peas

 When the top of the rice is beginning to show through the liquid (about 10 minutes into the cook time), press the artichokes and peas lightly into the rice.

Assess whether the paella is done

 In last few minutes, carefully watch the paella and rotate pan more frequently. As the paella finishes, you’ll see the steam start to slow down as the water cooks out. If desired, peek at the bottom of a pan by using a knife to scrape back the rice &#8212; you shouldn’t see any standing water. The sound will start to change from a simmer to a crackle. This indicates the crust is forming. Let the crackling continue for about 2 minutes before removing from the heat. If you smell any burning, remove immediately.

Add the shrimp and serve

 When the paella is done, add the shrimp to top of paella and squeeze the lemon wedges onto the top of the pan. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt and add the parsley, if using. Serve with additional lemon wedges.

Try swapping traditional seafood paella for a chicken and chorizo version – a hearty family supper for four

Chicken & chorizo paella

chicken breasts fillets,

onions,

garlic clove, crushed

cooking chorizo, sliced

turmeric

paprika

paella rice

stock

frozen peas

lemon,

½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan over a high heat. Brown the chicken all over – don’t cook completely. Once browned, transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to low, add the onions and cook slowly until softened, about 10 mins. Add the garlic, stir for 1 min, then toss in the chorizo and fry until it releases its oils.

Stir in the spices, then tip in the rice. Stir to coat the rice in the oils and spices for about 2 mins, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, return the chicken to the pan and simmer for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally.

Add the peas to the pan and simmer for a further 5 mins until the rice is cooked and the chicken is tender. Season well and serve with the lemon and parsley.

milliliters

chicken stock

½ small bunch of

A fast and flavorful Spanish style, one-pot dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. Healthy and delicious! Vegan
Adaptable- see notes! Gluten-Free.

Spanish White Bean, Shrimp and Sausage Skillet

andouille sausage (chicken

onion,

garlic cloves, rough chopped

red or yellow bell pepper, diced

tomatoes,

white beans,

water

fish sauce

apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

cumin

salt

Shrimp

parsley

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and sear sausage on each side. Set aside. To the same pan, add the onions, and cook for two minutes until fragrant. Add garlic and bell pepper, turning heat down to medium, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, and sauté two more minutes.

Add the white beans, water, fish sauce, vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 3-4 more minutes.

Add the shrimp and continue simmering until they turn pink and are cooked through, and some of liquid evaporates, just a few more minutes. Add the browned sausage back into the skillet and stir.

Taste, adjust salt. Add chili flakes if you like. Stir in the fresh parsley or cilantro.

This was FABULOUS!  Whole family really enjoyed it, and it was really done in a half hour.  So nice to have a tasty, quick, healthy, family friendly recipe!

This is great! We've made it twice now. From the picture, it doesn't look like it would be a quick and easy meal to make, but it really is. The prep really does take only 10 minutes which makes it a great meal to make after work.

I made the shrimp andouille white bean skillet tonight
So good! I added some fresh okra from the garden and subbed hoisin because I didn’t have fish sauce! Excellent!!

Really great flavor combo! Lends itself well to add more vegetables, like snap peas or mushrooms. I will use my own cooked beans the next time, as the canned version turned out too mushy. If using canned, I suggest to add them at the latest stage, just to heat them, after the shrimp are cooked.

Another big hit to add to our routine! This recipe was quick and easy to make, with great flavors. I used frozen tomatoes from last year’s crop and increased the amount, increased the white beans, increased the paprika and cumin by 1.5-2 times and topped it with cilantro. Corn bread would make a great accompaniment.

This easy seafood paella recipe will get you a plate of rice every bit as delicious as the stuff served in tapas bars from Barcelona to Valencia! Just make sure to bring an empty stomach.

Traditional Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe

olive oil ((80 ml))

onion (finely diced)

tomatoes

sweet paprika (Spanish pimentón de la Vera

squid

rice ((380 g) see notes)

white wine ((240 ml))

seafood stock ((720 ml))

prawns (or jumbo shrimp, shells

mussels

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the white wine and seafood stock to a simmer. Add a pinch of saffron threads and keep warm.

Meanwhile, put a large (16-inch) paella pan (see notes) over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion to the pan and saute until translucent, stirring often.

Add the garlic and cook until aromatic (about 1-2 minutes). Before it starts to brown, add the tomato and stir, adding in the paprika and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir and saute until the tomatoes are reduced and the oil is sizzling.

Gently add the squid to the pan and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Saute for about a minute, to give some color to the squid.

Next, add the rice and stir to combine. After a minute of sauteing, spread the rice evenly across the pan (don't worry if it looks like a thin layer, it will puff up).

Gently add the simmering white wine and stock to the pan, all in one go. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Carefully lay the prawns/shrimp in a circle on top of the rice and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning the shrimp over as they start to turn pink. If the rice starts to dry out before the shrimp is cooked, you can top it up with a bit more hot stock, half a cup at a time.

Meanwhile, steam the mussels by putting them in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid in half an inch of water. When the shells open, they are cooked! (Discard any that do not open).

When the stock in the paella pan fully evaporates, you will hear a faint cracking from the bottom of the pan as the socarrat starts to form. If you don't hear anything, you can raise the heat to medium for a short burst!

Top 6 easy paella recipes from across the web

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Best Traditional Spanish Paella Rec...

Easy Paella with Smoked Paprika

Chicken & chorizo paella

Chicken & chorizo paella

Spanish White Bean, Shrimp and Saus...

Traditional Spanish Seafood Paella ...

Top 6 easy paella recipes from across the web

The most viewed easy paella recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Best Traditional Spanish Paella Rec...

Easy Paella with Smoked Paprika

Chicken & chorizo paella

Chicken & chorizo paella

Spanish White Bean, Shrimp and Saus...

Traditional Spanish Seafood Paella ...

The most viewed easy paella recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine