Vegetable Paella

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small dried red chile pepper, such as chile de arbol, broken
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon paprika, preferably Spanish
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups short-grain white rice, preferably Valencia
3 cups vegetable broth,
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
6 lemon wedges, for garnish

1.Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add chile pepper, onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft but not browned, about 6 minutes.

2.Add tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

3.Add rice; stir to coat well with the tomato mixture. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot directly from the pan, garnished with parsley and lemon wedges, if desired

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JCCWOOD.