I have a 14″ paella pan that I got from HSN many years ago, it was a Todd English pan, I think he makes a different one now but you can still get it. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve used that pan, I’ve made so many things in it. I love it for frittatas, they come out perfect in it and you can feed a ton of people. You can use it on top of the stove, in the oven or under the broiler. When ever I need to bring a big side dish somewhere I often use my 14″ paella pan. I recently made a huge primavera pasta pie in it, which I’ll post about in the near future. I think I’ve only used it once to make an actual traditional paella, saffron and all, with chicken, seafood and sausage.
By now all my regular readers know the”veggie issues” that I have, and since I needed to bring a side dish to someones house recently I decided to make a vegetable paella with an Italian twist. I’m here to tell you it was a big hit!
I’ve always been attracted by the way paella looks, pinwheels of color all in one pan, it’s very impressive looking when it gets placed on the table!
With small amounts of veggies and a little bit of rice you could recreate this for your next party, serving it as a side or a main course.
There is no saffron here in my version, instead I infused the rice with roasted red pepper puree which gave it my little Italian twist.
Hope you like it!
- 1½ cups of short grain arborio rice
- 4 cups of warmed chicken or veggie stock
- 1 cup of roasted red pepper puree made from 4 peppers, blistered, peeled and cored and placed into a food processor until pureed.
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 1 each, red, yellow and orange bell pepper cut in strips
- 8oz. crimini mushroom caps
- 1 bag frozen artichoke hearts
- a handful of haricot vert beans
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion
- olive oil
- grated romano or parmesan cheese
- chopped basil for garnish
- 14" paella pan or a wide skillet, if smaller just adjust rice by 1 cup
- Roast the eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, artichokes and the peppers ahead of time, and set aside. 400F drizzled with olive oil.
- Purchase or make your own red pepper puree, have that ready made also
- Drizzle the bottom of the pan with olive oil, saute the garlic and onions until light golden, add rice and stir until coated then add in ½ cup of the roasted red pepper puree and stir until mixed through.
- Smooth rice until it is flat all over the bottom of the pan, then gently pour in the heated broth being careful not to move the rice, sprinkle with a generous helping of grated cheese, a little salt and black pepper.
- Arrange all your veggies on top of the rice and broth in the order that you would like, sprinkle with more grated cheese.
- Let it cook med low until moisture starts to disappear then cover with foil until rice is tender, mine took about 40 minutes, you might have to add a little more broth just keep checking. Dot some of the remaining pepper puree all around for added flavor.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and a drizzle of olive oil
- Note: You might have a few extra veggies left over after you fill the pan
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
