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Home » Quick and Easy Paella

Quick and Easy Paella

January 4, 2015 by Debi 37 Comments

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Quick and Easy Paella is a great quick meal. I think Spanish Paella is a great special dish; it’s fancy and filled with yumminess. But, I think most people aren’t going to take the time to get a Paella pan and cook up a big batch of the seafood & rice stew.

Thus, enter the Quick and Easy Paella made with orzo instead of rice. All the flavors of Paella, but easier and more accessible to many people, and, my version has lots of veggie goodness.

a white serving bowl filled with rice and veggies that makes a quick paella and a spoon on the right side.

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

orzo and veggies in a cast iron skillet.

Recipe suggestions

This basic recipe is vegan, budget-friendly, and pretty quick.

I love to make this for my husband to take to lunch with him. I prep everything the day before, package it in a dish, and it’s an easy way for him to have a healthy yummy lunch that he can eat at his desk (though I’d prefer he get away from his desk, I know how he really is so I try to make sure it’s easy to eat). For his lunch, I’ll throw in some shredded chicken. For me, I like it in the simple vegan version.

If you’d like to add more protein to the dish, I suggest cooked shrimp, clams, chicken, or tofu will work well.

cooked orzo and vegetables in a white serving dish that's garnished with chives.

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Quick and Easy Vegetarian Paella Recipe

a white bowl filled with cooked orzo and veggies with a cloth napkin and spoon next to it.

Quick and Easy Paella

Debi
Quick and Easy Paella made with orzo instead of rice. All the flavors of Paella, but easier and more accessible to many people, and, my version has lots of veggie goodness.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 4 servings
Calories 244 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil , or light tasting oil of your choice
  • ½ medium yellow onion , diced
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch saffron threads , optional
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dry white wine
  • 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
  • ¼ cup chopped jarred red peppers
  • ¾ cup canned artichoke quarters , drained
  • Fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until onion is soft and starting to brown, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If onion starts cooking too quickly, add a little water to the pan to slow the cooking. Add orzo and cook until orzo starts to toast, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, smoked paprika, saffron, salt, and pepper. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add white wine, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add peas, chopped red pepper, and artichokes, and toss to combine, cooking until veggies are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley or chopped chives.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 8gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1073mgPotassium: 251mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1186IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword paella, vegan
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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Lunch, Main Dish, Vegan Tagged With: artichoke, Cooking, Food, green peas, healthy, orzo, recipe, smoked paprika, Spanish, vegan, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie

    January 5, 2015 at 8:58 pm

    This looks like a delicious dish! Added veggies are always a plus!

  2. Meagan

    January 5, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    This looks so incredibly good! I really want this for dinner tonight. I’ll be trying this out for sure!

  3. naptimecreationsemily

    January 5, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    that look SOO good! the flavors in this type of rice are amazing!

  4. Stephanie Pass

    January 6, 2015 at 2:18 am

    That looks like a gorgeous dish! I’ve never had paella. Off to check it out!

  5. Debra

    January 6, 2015 at 8:39 am

    This sounds delicious! Looks so good!

  6. Scott

    January 6, 2015 at 9:01 am

    I have never had paella, will have to stop over and check out the recipe!

  7. Debra

    January 6, 2015 at 10:16 am

    I think my husband would love this. It looks so good!

  8. Sandra @ A Dash of Sanity

    January 6, 2015 at 10:56 am

    This would be fun! I haven’t had paella in a really long time!

  9. Carisa

    January 6, 2015 at 3:06 pm

    Oh YUM!!

  10. Caitlin

    January 6, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    I’ve only had paella a few times and first learned about it on Top Chef – I think it is super delicious and I love your recipe and think it sounds like it would be great with chicken:)

  11. Maggie @ The Love Nerds

    January 6, 2015 at 7:05 pm

    There is a restaurant by us that makes amazing paella and we love it, so I’m excited I can make a homemade version now! Thank you!

  12. Kristin

    January 6, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    That needs to land on our dinner menu STAT! Yum!

  13. Rebecca Hubbell

    January 8, 2015 at 11:13 am

    This looks great and super flavorful, adding to our weeknight meal plan!

  14. rachjyerkes

    January 8, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    I love paella and don’t make it nearly enough. I need to add this to my life! Thanks.

  15. Adrienne Grace

    January 13, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Just to follow up, I did make this and added shrimp. With the exception of the 17-year-old boy (no surprise there,) it was a hit! In fact, there was a request to add it into “regular rotation.” 😀

  16. Nicole Neverman

    January 25, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    What a fantastic idea to use orzo instead of paella rice! It sounds really tasty and makes this dish so much more accessible to the everyday kitchen 🙂

  17. Culinary Flavors

    February 8, 2015 at 8:45 am

    I love paella but it is a pain in the neck to make it! Thanks for sharing this easy tweak!

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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