Vegan Mediterranean Vegetable Paella
Paella is an excellent way of adding a multitude of vegetables to a meal, making it an easy way to get most of your five-a-day in one pan
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 15mins
Equipment Large frying pan/paella pan
Ingredients
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
200g Arborio rice/risotto rice
Half an onion
1 tsp paprika
500-600ml vegetable stock or water
A couple of sprigs of thyme or basil
Salt and pepper for seasoning
The veg
1 red pepper, but into chunks
1 small courgette, cut into chunks
1 small aubergine, cut into chunks
4 pieces of artichoke (in oil is best but tinned is fine)
A little oil for frying
Instructions
1 Preheat your oven to 180C. If your potatoes aren’t pre-cooked, boil them until just soft.
2 In the same pan, now add a little more of the oil and add the sliced onion. Cook for 3mins until it just starts to colour, then stir in the rice.
3 Now add the garlic and paprika, and cook for 2-3mins on a low heat. Add the stock and cook for approx 12mins, stirring occasionally.
4 The rice should be cooked through and the majority of the stock absorbed by the rice. Adda little extra water if it needs it.
5 Stir in the vegetables, including the artichoke, and season to taste, adding thyme or basil if preferred. Serve in the pan and help yourself – it’ll keep hot for your second helping!
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
