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You are here: Home / Dairy Free / Thirty Minute “Paella”

January 17, 2012 By Kaitlin 13 Comments

Thirty Minute “Paella”

I absolutely love paella: rice, saffron, seafood… what isn’t to like? If I could, I’d eat this amazing dish once a week. Traditional paella takes a good hour at least to make, so it would be quite the task to make it all the time. However, I found a paella-like dish from Cooking Light that can be made in 30 minutes! My parents and sister recently went to Spain and brought me back some amazing, but vague, spices. One was just labeled as “paella spice” and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 a white onion, chopped
2 chicken sausages, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp
2 cups uncooked  rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon “paella spice” (sub in 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron for this)
1/4 teaspoon paprika, smoked would be ideal
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen green peas
the juice of 1/2 a lemon juice

Using a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pan, head the olive oil over medium-high heat. Chop your onion and sausage.
Add to the pot and cook, stirring, for three minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir in to the other ingredients.
Add the rice, water, oregano, salt, paella spice (or saffron), paprika, black pepper, and chicken broth.
Mix so that the rice is coated in the liquid.
Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in the peas, and squeeze with the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
So, traditional paella has that nice crispy bottom where the rice has started to stick to the pan. Twenty minutes obviously won’t give you that result. But the rice turns out fluffy and has the flavoring of not only the saffron/paella spice, but also the smokiness of the chicken sausage and a subtle fresh seafood flavor of the shrimp.
The little bit of citrus really enhances the dish. It brings out all of the flavors and adds such brightness to the rice.
I am so impressed and pleased with how this turned out. For just thirty minutes of your time, you can have a paella-type dinner prepared!
I kept the tails and shell on the shrimp so that they could soak in the liquid while cooking the rice. It helped so that the shrimp wouldn’t overcook. Also, I think it makes the paella look a bit more authentic. 🙂
If you are a bit squeamish about it, feel free to use deveined shrimp. I’d suggest not adding them to the pot until the rice is about half way cooked, so as to not overcook the shrimp.
I wish I could figure out what exactly was in the “paella spice” I had because the flavor was really amazing. Saffron, tumeric, spanish paprika? Sigh. Who knows. But if you come across any pre-made paella mix, be sure to buy it and try this dish! However, I do think that using saffron would make a really solid substitute.

Related posts:

Gazpacho with Grilled Pickapeppa Shrimp Sheet Pan Paella Pan Seared Flounder with Fried Rosemary and GarlicPan Seared Flounder with Fried Rosemary and Garlic Jambalaya

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Europe, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Quick, Seafood, Spain, Weeknight Meal Tagged With: Chicken Sausage, Garlic, Lemon, Onions, Oregano, Paella, Paprika, Peas, Quick, Rice, Saffron, Sausage, Seafood, Shrimp

Comments

  1. Kiri W. says

    January 17, 2012 at 11:09 am

    This looks fantastic! 🙂 I love paella, have ever since I spent a few summers in Spain as a child. Mmmm.
    I know how that is, everyone has something else in their mix, just like curry etc. But hey, maybe it’s a good enough reason to make your own!

    Reply
  2. Lauren says

    January 17, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Looks amazing! I spent my honeymoon in Spain two years ago, and was just looking through photos and reminsicing yesterday. May have to make this to bring back some more memories!

    Reply
  3. Grubarazzi says

    January 17, 2012 at 9:21 pm

    Very cool recipe!

    Reply
  4. S.V. says

    January 17, 2012 at 9:59 pm

    Sounds great… I have made paella once but it certainly took more than 30 minutes lol. I have saffron in the cabinet but I am totally curious about the paella spice. I’m headed to Spain next month I’ll be keeping my eyes open for this. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kait Lunny says

      January 25, 2012 at 2:05 am

      Let me know if you figure out what exactly it is! I want to add it to every rice I make now 🙂

      Reply
  5. Maureen says

    January 17, 2012 at 11:06 pm

    30 minutes?? whoa – gotta give this a try. It looks gorgeous and in 30 minutes? That’s giving Jamie Oliver a run for his money!

    Reply
  6. Free Spirit Eater says

    January 18, 2012 at 2:56 am

    I am a HUGE paella fan, glad to have come across this thirty minute version, thanks for sharing! It looks absolutely delicious! =]

    Reply
  7. Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes says

    January 18, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    This looks amazing – I love anything made with rice, I could live off the stuff!

    Reply
  8. CulinaryCache says

    January 18, 2012 at 8:09 pm

    Looks great, it can be hard to scale down recipes like paella, I’m impressed, and inspired by your ambition. Great post!

    Reply
  9. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says

    January 19, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    I have never tried paella before. A 30 minute version sounds perfect though – gotta love Cooking Light!

    Reply
  10. claire @ the realistic nutritionist says

    January 19, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    This is my kind of dish. 30 minutes or less!

    Reply
  11. Stephanie says

    January 20, 2012 at 5:38 am

    I love paella and I really love this can be made in 30!

    Reply
  12. Emily says

    January 22, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    I love paella too. It was so convenient when I lived in Paris and the outdoor markets would have the vendors with the huge pot fulls. I never got my full. This sounds like a great recipe.

    Reply

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