
Jump to RecipePaella, One Of The Simplest Dishes You Can Make Vegan 😋
The weathers warming up in Melbourne, and that means spending more time outdoors, and eating outside in the sunshine!
And have I’ve got just the perfect dish for easy, outdoor, sunshine eating.
This vegetable loaded vegan paella!
With it’s vibrant colours, delectable hot, spicy, sweet & sour flavours, and can easily feed a hungry crowd, makes this dish, perfect for a easy get together feasting.

Don’t be fooled in thinking because it’s made with vegetables, it’s not going to be as tasty as the original.
Made full of vegetables, beans & spices, such as saffron & smoked paprika, this vegetable loaded vegan paella will sure be loaded with a bang of flavours and vegetable goodness.
So, If anything, it taste even better, and definitely a lot healthier!
Chicken Style Stock
To give it that extra flavour, I’ve added chicken stock to the dish, but don’t worry, were not using real chicken.
Just look for the stock that says “chicken style”, they’re usually just added seasoning for flavour and no chicken is really used.
Be sure to check the ingredients label, just to be sure, or alternatively you can use vegetable stock if you prefer.
No Paella Pan, No Worries
Paella is traditionally made with a shallow paella pan, however a normal shallow pan or pot will work fine for this recipe. And the burnt crispy bits on the bottom is what gives the paella it’s signature element.
Just look at the vibrant colours, definitely a party starter!

Notes
If the paella is looking a bit dry, don’t be afraid to add a little more stock.
When I say turn the heat down to low, I mean low low. The final stage is to let the paella slowly simmer, to let the rice gently cook without burning whist building that intense flavour.
There should only be small signs of bubbling during simmering.
The Paella will get thicker as the rice becomes softer, so don’t over cook the rice!
I normally add the quick cooking vegetables such as chard, tomatoes and capsicum in the last 10 min before serving so to not over cook the veggies , turning the paella into a huge pile of slop.
And defiantly do spread the topping around to decorate the paella. It really makes the paella a show stopper 😍.
This vegetable loaded paella is easy as easy can be. Just one pan or pot and leave it to simmer, so you can enjoy the more important things like another mojito…🍸
Do give this recipe a try and let me know what you think about this delicious vegetable loaded vegan paella in the comment 😋.
Di x

Vegetable Loaded Vegan Paella
And have I’ve got just the perfect dish for easy, outdoor, sunshine eating. This vegetable loaded vegan paella!With its vibrant colours, delectable hot, spicy, sweet & sour flavours, and can easily feed a hungry crowd, makes this dish, perfect for a easy get together feasting.
Ingredients
- 1/8 cup hot water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch saffron strands roughly 100mg
- 1 red onion diced
- 4 stalks silverbeet or chard thinly sliced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 cups chicken style liquid stock Be sure to pick a vegan stock
- 1 tin black beans drained
- 200 grams string beans rough chopped
- 200 grams cherry tomato
- 4 leaves silverbeet or chard thinly sliced
- 1 red capsicum thinly sliced
Instructions
-
In a small bowl, add the saffron strands and 1/8 cup of hot water and let it infuse for 5 min
-
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or shallow pan and gently cook the onion and silver beet stalks on high till soft.
-
Then add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally
-
Then mix in the spices, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, stock, black beans, string beans, saffron mixture and bring to the boil. Stirring occasionally
-
When it starts bubbling, turn heat down to low and let it simmer uncovered for 30min
-
Then stir in the chard leaves and lay the cherry tomatoes and sliced red capsicum on top.
You can lay them decoratively if you want to pretty it up
-
Place lid over and let it simmer for another 15 min or until rice is al dente.
Paella is traditionally eaten al dente but you can cook it longer for a softer texture.
With the heat off, simply cover paella with lid. Steam emitted during cooling stage will help cook the rice further.
-
Serve with a wedge of lemon and a sprinkle of fresh coriander
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Paella is traditionally made with a shallow paella pan, however a normal shallow pan or pot will work fine for this recipe. And the burnt crispy bits on the bottom is what gives the paella it’s signature element.
To give it that extra flavour, I’ve added chicken stock to the dish, but don’t worry, were not using real chicken. Just look for the stock that says “chicken style”, they’re usually just added seasoning for flavour and no chicken is really used. Be sure to check the ingredients label, just to be sure, or alternatively you can use vegetable stock if you prefer.
If the paella is looking a bit dry, don’t be afraid to add a little more stock.
When I say turn the heat down to low, I mean low low. The final stage is to let the paella simmer to let the rice gently cook without burning whist building that intense flavour.
There should only be small signs of bubbling during simmering.
Paella is traditionally eaten al dente, but you can cook it longer for a softer texture.
With the heat off, simply cover paella with lid. Steam emitted during cooling stage will help cook the rice further.
Note: Paella will get thicker as the rice becomes softer so don’t over cook the rice.
I normally add the quick cooking vegetables such as chard, tomatoes and capsicum in the last 10 min before serving so to not over cook the veggies turning the paella into a huge pile of slop.
And defiantly do spread the topping around to decorate the paella. It really makes it a show stopper 😍
*Nutrition information is approximate and is meant as a guideline only*