Vegetarian Paella is packed with Mediterranean flavours, featuring grilled zucchini, onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Slowly simmered in vegetable broth, wine, and smoky Pimentón de la Vera, this vibrant dish brings a taste of sunshine to your table!
Paella is a wonderfully versatile dish—you can make it with seafood, meat, fish, or veggies! The key is the broth and sofrito, which is sautéing onion, garlic, and tomato pulp in olive oil until it forms a rich paste. We grilled the zucchini as a topping for this Vegetarian Paella, keeping it flavorful and crisp instead of letting it soften in the broth. The rest of the aromatics are rosemary, smoky paprika and garlic to give it this sunny touch!
The Spices
In Spain, they say 1 out of 100 paellas is made with saffron. It’s a great spice but pretty expensive as well. So most paellas are made with sweet paprika, colouring powder, turmeric or the paste of dried capsicums (Ñora, Choricero and Piquillo). Those four dried peppers are the base of the famous paprika (pimentón). The Ñora and Choricero peppers are sweet and quite similar in taste. The Mediterranean coast uses more the Ñora, which is rounder, while the West of Spain uses the Choricero, a more prolonged pepper. The Piquillo is mildly spicy, and the Guindilla is the hottest, giving some paprikas a hot kick; however, nothing as strong as Mexican paprika.
Spicy or Smokey?
Moving to Spain, I thought their food, especially paprika, would be spicy. I’ve realized rapidly that it isn’t the case. Spaniards aren’t big fans of spicy things; their traditional food is filled with paprika, but a sweet type and sometimes spicy type, which is perfect for this recipe. When you buy paprika, they do sell dulce or piquante (sweet or spicy) but frankly the piquante is quite mild.
Pimentón de la Vera
They favor smoked paprika, a staple in their cuisine with its distinct smoky depth. The renowned Pimentón de la Vera, a D.O. (Denomination of Origin) spice from Extremadura, Spain, is unlike regular paprika, which is sun-dried. Instead, Pimentón de la Vera is smoked in traditional “smoke shacks” over oak and acorn wood for 10 to 15 days, creating its signature aroma and rich flavor. Depending on the peppers used, it comes in three varieties: sweet (dulce), bittersweet (agridulce), and spicy (picante)—each adding a unique touch to traditional Spanish dishes.
So the paprika world is a whole world of its own in Spain, without talking about elsewhere. Indeed, I recommend trying out the famous “Pimentón de la Vera” for your paellas. It gives this distinct smoky flavour as if it is cooked on a campfire (like the original paella). You can find it in European Speciality shops or online.
Other Paellas to Try
Let’s make this Mediterranean veggie paella!
Vegan Paella
Ingredients
- 1 l vegetable broth
- 400 g Bomba rice
- 100 ml white wine
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 zucchini (cut into sticks)
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 tomato (cut into 2)
- 1 tbsp Pimenton de la Vera (or paprika)
- 1 tsp rosemary
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by frying the zucchini in olive oil in the pan (or paella pan*), at medium-high heat; add salt and pepper and reserve.
- Warm up the broth in a pot.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add olive oil, onion, garlic and salt.
- Let the onion soften for a few minutes (until translucent).
- Add the garlic and grate the inside of the tomato (check the picture).
- Let the tomato juice become a paste, then make a well in the center, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the rice and mix.
- Add the wine, then the warm broth to cover about 1 cm over the rice (keep some broth in case it dries up), rosemary branch, salt and paprika (Pimenton de la Vera), and mix for a last time.
- Add the bell pepper and let simmer vigorously, medium-high heat for the first 8 minutes.
- Then add the zucchini on top, lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for another 10 minutes without touching it.
- Check the doneness of the rice when the liquid evaporates, and add broth or water if needed.
- Take off the fire and cover it with a clean kitchen towel for a minute or two to let the rice absorb all that liquid.
Nutrition
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11 Comments
Beautiful, I love a good vibrant vegetarian dish (:
Thanks!
This looks fabulous. I’ve never made it without seafood or chicken, but why not? Love that Spanish smoked paprika–it makes all the difference!
Yes, I agree, this smoked paprika is the secret to any good paella!
What a beautiful dish! Loved reading and learning about paprika. Great post 🙂
It’s just an intro to paprika… it’s a whole world that spice;)
I love your description of all of these delicious spices! Thank you for sharing this tasty looking recipe….perfect for a Meatless Monday! I sure do love Paella and this will make for a delicious variation on the classic! Yum!
Thanks!
Beautiful Dish, and I loved the information about Spanish dishes and paprika. I love the smoked paprika especially. Thanks for posting!
Gorgeous veggie dish! I have never tried making paella but I feel this would be a great place to start. Thanks for great instructions.
Thanks, paella is a great dish!