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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 4
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 219.4
  • Total Fat: 5.0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
  • Sodium: 140.5 mg
  • Total Carbs: 38.0 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 7.4 g
  • Protein: 7.2 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Vegetable Paella calories by ingredient
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Vegetable Paella

Submitted by: CHEF_MEG
Vegetable Paella

Introduction

A budget version of the rustic Spanish favorite. An herbed-citrus olive pesto adds color and intensifies the flavor.
A budget version of the rustic Spanish favorite. An herbed-citrus olive pesto adds color and intensifies the flavor.

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 yellow onion, sliced into strips
    2 bell peppers, sliced
    1 small bulb fennel, core removed and sliced
    3 garlic cloves, sliced
    1 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    1 pinch cayenne pepper
    1 large bay leaf
    1 cup no salt added diced tomatoes
    1 cup brown rice
    1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    2 1/2 cups boiling water
    1 cup canned or frozen lima beans, drained and rinsed

    Pesto:
    1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
    8 Kalamata olives, pitted
    1 clove garlic
    1 lemon zested and juiced

Tips

Make this a quick cook recipe: Use heat-and-eat brown rice, reduce hot water to 1/2 cup, and cook for 5 minutes before adding the lima beans.

When prepping fennel, only use the white bulb. Discard the green stalks. If you can't find it, you can add extra peppers and onions.


Directions

Place a large saute pan over medium heat, then add the oil. Add the onions and peppers when the oil is hot and cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the fennel and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add all the spices and the bay leaf, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stir to combine, then add the vinegar and scrape the bottom to pull up any caramelized bits.
Add the rice to pan, stir and cook for one minute. Slowly add the boiling water to the pan, stirring to combine.
Raise the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the pesto, either in a food processor or by chopping all the ingredients together.
After 35 minutes, stir in the lima beans, cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the pesto and serve immediately.






Serving Size: Makes 8 cups, 2 cups per serving






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Member Ratings For This Recipe

  • JAM223

    Bad
    11 of 20 people found this review helpful
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    As I am Spainish from Valencia Spain, to me this is not a Paella. This to me sounds like an Italian rice dish or flavored white rice. You can cut the seafood from the Paella but a true paella also has chicken and pork in it this recipe has neither. I have also eaten paella with snails. - 6/8/12

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  • AZULVIOLETA6


    7 of 13 people found this review helpful
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    Please call this something OTHER than paella. This is very culturally inappropriate/inaccurate. - 7/1/12

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  • MARYJOHANNAH


    6 of 9 people found this review helpful
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    sounds good but NOT Paella - 6/8/12

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  • TUBLADY

    O.K.
    6 of 10 people found this review helpful
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    It's Ok as a rice dish. But I will continue to fix my Paella with shrimp,chicken and some form of sausage. Paella is a dish I usually save for a special occasion, with good friends.
    As it is, this rice dish is heavy on carbs, very little protein for me. - 6/8/12

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  • EGRAMMY

    Incredible!
    5 of 7 people found this review helpful
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    Chef Meg comments you can add shrimp or chicken - 6/9/12

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  • MSMOBY

    Good
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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    This was pretty good until I added the pesto--then the lemon overwhelmed everything. If I make it again, I'll use half the lemon or even less. - 6/23/12

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  • CAROLYN1ALASKA


    3 of 5 people found this review helpful
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    This was an OK quick rice dish, but can't be called paella by any stretch of the imagination. Like the addition of fennel, but it needs saffron; not pesto. - 6/8/12

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  • MSMAGGIEMAE


    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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    this TERRIBLE how can you call it a paella without the reason for it being a paella to begin with. En que cabeza queda eso!!!
    - 10/5/12

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  • CHRIS3874

    Good
    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
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    sounds OK but like the other said it needs meat to be a proper Paella. - 6/8/12

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  • LEANJEAN6

    Good
    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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    I liked this-- - 6/8/12

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  • TERRRI


    2 of 5 people found this review helpful
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    Another recipe that isn't the one pictured. - 6/8/12

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  • SI_SE_PUEDE


    2 of 4 people found this review helpful
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    This dish definitely is not a paella, but it sounds like a good rice dish. - 6/8/12

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  • GAYLE119


    2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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    I just used fennel seed and clove seasoning and no turmeric or lima beans...... not bad!!! - 6/8/12

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  • PATRICIAANN46

    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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    I left out the Fennel Seeds and Lima Beans but everything else was included. Very good!!! - 6/8/12

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  • JANNEBARN

    Bad
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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    This is not even close to Paella. - 3/2/13

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  • POLSKARENIA

    Good
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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    Sounds like a tasty meat-free alternative to paella... - 8/11/12

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  • CHARMAINE.C

    Very Good
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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    Low Calorie with lots of flavor added. Thanks for the good ideas Chef Meg! - 6/5/12

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  • GRACEISBEST

    Very Good
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    excellent - 3/1/13

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  • 9CATMAN9

    Very Good
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    My mothers family came from Madrid and she would make authentic gourmet paella, she would show me how she roasted the saffron. The seafood shrimp, mussels and scallops crested a "dish to die for!" I cant wait to try this paella recipe....so much less fat and dubstitute veggies for the rich seafood. - 11/5/12

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  • LISAREADS

    Very Good
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    AWESOME! Always looking 4 a way to get more flavor in my vegetables! If you really want to cut the carbs and up the protein make it a one meal dish add EITHER shrimp or
    leftover chicken and make it a 1 1/2 cup serving (before the protein addition) Try this with a lowfat jarred pesto 2 save time. 4* - 9/10/12

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  • SUGARSMOM2


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    love best ever ate . thank you for this verision of an old favorite . - 8/1/12

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