Vegetable Spanish Paella

CKD diet Diet and meal planning Diet and nutrition
Enjoy a vibrant, plant-based paella with chickpeas, green peas, and traditional spices. A flavorful, fiber-rich dish perfect for sharing.
Meal Type Dinner , Lunch , Side dish
Diets High fiber , Low fat , Low phosphorus , Low sugar
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, small diced
  • 1 cup fresh tomato grated or canned (no salt added)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 1 cup short-grain white, I used Arborio rice or Bomba or Valencia rice because absorb 3 times more water and flavor than long grain rice. If using Valencia short grain rice for each 1 cup you will need 2 ¼ of vegetable stock and for Arborio rice for each 1 cup use 4 cups vegetable stock (preferably use low sodium vegetable stock)
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 3 or 4 lemon wedges for garnish
  • 6 canned artichokes hearts marinated in olive oil and vinegar for garnish
  • 1 canned roasted red bell pepper thinly sliced for garnish
  • 1 rosemary to cook the rice and 1 for garnish
Directions
Prep: 15 min, Cook: 30 min, Total: 45 min
  1. Heat vegetable stock in a separate pan
  2. Infuse saffron with couple tablespoons of hot vegetable stock for at least 10 minutes prior to adding to the paella.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. Then, add bell pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, add tomato paste, paprika, and garlic (avoid burning garlic). Then add the grated tomatoes and stir everything together and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper. Slowly pour the hot broth, making sure it's covered by stock and add saffron infusion and stir for 1 minute. Then, add the rice and Don't stir after incorporating to avoid releasing more starch. At this point add the fresh rosemary. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered for 5 minutes then uncovered for another 18-20 minutes.
  4. You want a crispy layer of rice to form on the bottom of the pan. This is called the socarrat. Once the rice is done, increase the temperature to medium-high heat for 2 minutes to create the socarrat.  
  5. Remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Garnish with marinated artichokes, red bell peppers, lemon wedges and a fresh rosemary. 

 

Substitutions

- if you don’t have saffron, use 2 teaspoon turmeric

- if you don’t have the paella pan, you can use any large round wide skillet or pan with a flat bottom

- if you don’t find a short white rice like Valencia/Bomba rice or Arborio rice, you could use a medium-grain rice like Calrose rice, cooking time will vary depending on which rice you are using. Read the cooking instructions in the rice label

Nutritional Information
  • Calories 322
  • Protein 9.6 grams
  • Net carbs 38 grams
  • Fat 11 g
  • Cholesterol 0
  • Saturated Fat 1.4 grams
  • Fiber 4.3 grams
  • Sodium 678 mg using low sodium (125mg sodium/1cup) vegetable stock
  • Phosphorus 154mg (plant protein we absorb 50% phosphorus)
  • Potassium 498mg
  • Added sugar 0
  • Vitamin C 76 mg
  • Iron 2.2 mg
  • Adding lemon juice and vitamin c from bell pepper increases iron absorption