Vegan Bean & Pepper Paella

By: Gill Renée

Cooking vegan food doesn’t need to be complicated, so I have created this simple vegan paella. Using a variety of beans and peppers are what makes this dish stand out, as you will have a multitude of different textures and flavors all in one. Paella traditionally isn’t vegan but switching things up and trying something new never hurts! Try my take on this Spanish classic.

If you don’t have all the different types of beans, that is fine. You can use what you have on hand and even substitute out what you don’t have. This is the same for the peppers. I used long, sweet peppers, but any kind of pepper will work.
I prefer to use fresh tomatoes and blend or grate them to make a tomato sauce. However, you may use diced tomatoes instead.
For a paella, you want to use a short-grain rice. I use a rice specifically made for paella, but any short-grain rice will work. Also, I use a variety of paprika in this dish to give it a Spanish flavor, however, use what you have on hand. Some stores carry a paella spice blend which you can substitute the paprika in the recipe for.
Since most households use broth, I suggested that you use vegetable broth in this recipe. However, if you prefer to use concentrated broth such as bouillon cubes or paste, please don’t hesitate to substitute that by following the instructions provided for your specific concentrate.

Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook Time: 25-30 mins.

Total Time: 35-40 mins.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 long, sweet peppers
2 poblano peppers
1.5 tbsps. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 can chickpeas
1 can butter beans
3 Roma tomatoes
3 cups (24oz) vegetable broth
1 cup paella rice (round rice)
1 tsp. hot paprika
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
Handful of fresh parsley (optional)

Cooking Steps

Prep Ingredients

Mince garlic. Roughly chop sweet peppers and poblano peppers, removing seeds. Drain and rinse butter beans and chickpeas. Wash Roma tomatoes.

Prep Tomatoes

Blend or grate the tomatoes. You may substitute for diced tomatoes or tomato sauce.

Cook Peppers

In a deep skillet over medium heat, add in 1.5 tbsps. of olive oil. Once oil is shimmering, add in chopped peppers. Cook until softened, about 4 mins.

Once softened, add in minced garlic. Combine and cook for 30 secs, stirring.

Add in Ingredients

Add in 1 tsp. each of smoked paprika, hot paprika, and sweet paprika. Stir in quickly to combine. Add in the tomatoes, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Add Broth

Mix the tomato mixture and add in 3 cups of vegetable broth. Stir in 1 cup of rice and turn heat up to medium-high. Cook until most of the liquid is gone about 12-15 mins. Make sure not to stir the rice during this time, as it will disrupt the cooking process of the rice.

Cover Paella

When most of the liquid is gone from the pan, mix the paella to avoid burning on the bottom.

Cover with lid and turn heat to medium-low. Cook for an additional 2-3 mins.

Serve

After 2-3 minutes, remove paella from heat and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley if you have it.

Do you desire another vegan dish? Give my White Beans on Toast recipe a try!

Nutrition Facts

(Per Serving)

Calories: 426

Fat: 9g

Net Carbs: 57g

Total Carbs: 74g

Fiber: 17g

Protein: 15g

The above nutrition facts are only estimates and may not be representative of your final product.