Here’s a summery recipe with roasted veggies and crisp snap peas all tossed in Spanish paella.

About the recipe

I made this roasted veggie paella recently that turned out so delicious it was devoured by the entire family. Roasted peppers, carrots, and fennel along with crisp sugar snap peas add fabulous color and vibrancy to this delicious Spanish rice paella.

A colorful veggie party in a saffron infused rice dish

Paella is a delicious Spanish rice dish that’s wonderful in the summer when vibrant fresh veggies can be added.

The rice is flavored with onions, garlic and tomatoes, with saffron and paprika – this combination is called safrito. Then you add in any combination of seafood or chicken, but here keeping it vegetarian I added roasted veggies and snap peas. The result is this amazing one pot rice dish that tastes amaizing.

3 easy steps for a delicious roasted veggie paella

First make the saffron and tomato Spanish rice. I used the instapot to make it easy. Saute onions and garlic, then add a can of crushed tomatoes, Spanish rice, saffron, paprika and broth. Turn the instapot to the rice setting and let the pot cook the rice.

In the meantime, roast carrots, fennel, onions and peppers.

Last step is to saute sugar snap peas with a little onion and garlic. Add the peas and roasted veggie to the tomato rice and combine.

That’s it! A wonderful roasted veggie paella that’s colorful, delicious and full of flavor.

Roasted Veggie Paella

Ingredients:

2 cups bomba rice
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups crushed tomatoes (used caned for more robust flavor)
2 cups leeks finely cut from 2 leeks
2 carrots sliced into long pieces
2 large bell peppers cut into chunks
2 onions sliced
2 fennel bulbs thinly sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic minced
Fresh parsley for garnish
2 tsp saffron
2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 lemon

Directions for Instapot paella:

Cook the rice: Turn the instapot to the saute function. Warm 2 tbsp olive oil. Shallow fry 1 onion and half of the crushed garlic until onions are translucent. Add paprika, crushed tomatoes, all the broth plus the bomba rice. Add 2 tsp salt plus saffron. Stir. Wait till the broth starts to bubble. Then switch to the rice function. The instapot will start to cook the rice.

In the meantime, roast the veggies. Spread the veggies carrots, fennel, remainder onions and peppers, on two baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle of salt. Roast in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, shuffling the veggies at the 10 minute mark.

Saute the sugar snap peas: In a large pot warm 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute the remainder garlic, and leeks until the leeks are tender. Add the sugar snap peas, pinch of salt and cook for about 2 minutes until they turn a bright green.

Combine the peas with the roasted veggies and stir together.

Make the paella: Next combine all the veggies with tomato rice and gently mix together. Taste and adjust for salt.

Paella is ready: Top with fresh parsley and squeeze of lemon.