Vegan Paella

I have a thing for Paella, and can you blame me? There’s something so, grrr, red blooded about Spanish food. And when it’s a Vegan Paella, a one-pot package deal with so many goodies tucked in, one just can’t help but fall in love. This veg paella is definitely a dish to get all hot and bothered about. It’s delicious and there is so much goodness here from the rice and the lima beans and the red peppers and the tofu that your tastebuds will want to wear high heels and do the flamenco. Paella is a popular dish around my home because Desi will eat rice in just about any form. And when the house smells as great as it does when I’m making this, he is definitely interested. Better still, this is not just a perfect dinner but is perfect to brown-bag to work the next day. I used some beans in my Vegan Paella which are traditional, especially in Valencia, the Spanish city where Paella originated, and other traditionally used ingredients, like onions and red peppers and sausage (vegan, of course). But my recipe is also very simple and comes together rather quickly, because hey, I get it: we are not living in the 18th century where sultry senoritas could languidly saute and simmer and then serve it all up without a hair out of place. I’m off to serve mine, and I can’t believe I waited this long before wiping it off the face of the earth. And oh, if you’re a parent, Jay loved this despite the mushrooms, so I’d put it in the kid-friendly box.

Tips and tricks

For an authentic tasting paella without the non-vegan ingredients like mussels and clams and chicken and sausage, you will need ingredients that will pack in flavor and umami. In this paella that umami comes from mushrooms, tomato paste, smoked paprika and, to some extent, the wine, which is optional but really nice here. I also like adding some “seafood tofu” to my paella for the protein and flavor. That’s just tofu tossed with a few spices like paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper and some Old Bay seasoning, if you have it (it’s usually used to season seafood but is perfectly vegan and adds a nice, oceany flavor). I then pan-fry or air-fry the tofu (I much prefer air-frying tofu as it’s more hands-off and gives a great result.) Add the tofu to the paella pan in the last few minutes of cooking, so it absorbs some of the flavors of the rice while retaining its firmness. I like adding lima beans that are frozen or canned and therefore don’t require much cooking to my paella when I have them on hand. I didn’t use them this time but if you want an extra hit of protein and fiber add them to the paella. If you use canned lima beans make sure you drain them first before adding them to the pot.