Paella But Make it Pasta

Secretly a weeknight meal.

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I know paella may not seem like a weeknight dinner, but for me it always has been. At it’s most basic it’s a one pot meal full of protein, veg, and carbs and in fact, traditionally, it’s eaten straight from the pan with wooden spoons. Most are made with rice—a very specific short grain rice (usually bomba) from Valencia, Spain where paella is king and taken very seriously. The definition of paella varies throughout Spain, but if you’re a purist, Paella Valenciana is paella and everything else is just rice! Disclaimer: Please don’t think the recipe that follows is attempting to be authentic. My abbreviated method for making a paella-like dish is not the cooked-over-an-open-fire labor of love you may have been lucky enough to have in Spain. It’s simply hearty and good and full of those beloved paella flavors.

A number of years back I was introduced to Fideuà, a version of paella which uses a broken spaghetti-like fideos pasta in place of the rice. It’s almost always made with seafood—the one I had was black with squid ink, full of calamari rings and tentacles, and served with an intensely garlicky aioli for swirling in. It was love at first bite. Since then I’ve made lots of different paella variations- most featuring chorizo, peas and a saffron broth. This is the version my family loves and when I once swapped fideos for the rice there was no going back.

I made the decision to eat less meat, more plants a few years ago and found it fairly easy to do as I’ve never been a big meat eater. Chorizo, though, is different. If I had to put together a group of umami-bomb, non-vegan-but-worth-it ingredients I love it would include: anchovies, sardines, squid ink, pancetta (ok, all the bacons), and of course, chorizo. While I do continue to eat all of these delicacies when I’m so inclined, I gave myself the challenge of trying to make a plant-based, veg-forward paella that comes close to replicating my usual chorizo version (complete with a surprisingly spot on aquafaba aioli!) The recipe that follows really hits all the right flavor notes thanks to the saffron broth, the pimenton de la vera, sweet mini peppers, canned cherry tomatoes, and garlic. It’s full of peas and chickpeas and gets a bright boost from fresh parsley and lemon at the end. Once you have all the ingredients assembled, it’s about 30 minutes start to finish. I’d call that doable on a weeknight! Simply put it in the middle of the table and pass the wooden spoons!

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