A genuinely satisfying meat-free paella - the artichokes and butter beans give it the body that vegetable versions usually lack.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
35 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£1.98
Difficulty
easy
Most vegetable paellas taste like saffron rice with some peppers in. The fix is butter beans, which go creamy at the edges, and jarred chargrilled artichokes, which bring an almost meaty savouriness. A spoonful of smoked paprika does the rest.
Heat the oil in a wide shallow pan and cook the onion and both peppers with the salt over a medium heat for 12 minutes, until soft and starting to catch at the edges.
Stir in the garlic, paprika and rosemary for a minute, then the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until you have a thick, dark sofrito.
Steep the saffron in the hot stock. Add the rice to the pan and stir for 2 minutes to coat.
Pour in the stock, scatter over the butter beans and green beans, and spread everything level. Simmer briskly for 10 minutes without stirring.
Turn the heat down, tuck in the artichoke hearts and cook for a further 8 minutes until the liquid has gone and the rice is tender.
If the rice looks dry but still has a chalky centre, add 100ml boiling water and give it 3 more minutes.
Turn the heat up briefly to crisp the base, then rest under foil for 5 minutes. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon.