An authentic Spanish recipe – Beyond Sausage vegan paella. A perfect hearty dinner idea filled with vegetables and only made in one pot!
Paella is a popular rice dish that originates from Spain, specifically a region called Valencia. It is a hearty meal that is one of my favorites because it is full of flavor and because it is simple to make and only uses one pot!
Today we are making a Beyond Sausage vegan paella with artichoke, red pepper, peas, mushrooms, and lots of spices!
Main Ingredients in a Traditional Paella
Paella is a very meat-heavy dish. Originally, one of the main ingredients used in paella was water vole (a semi-aquatic rodent). As tastebuds became more evolved, the paella we know and love today was born.
Paella is now made with various meats. From fish to rabbit to chicken, it is completely up to you and your tastebuds. In addition to the meat, the rice is the other large component that makes up a paella. Traditionally, rice called bomba is used. Other varieties of rice you could use for a paella recipe are:
- Calasparra
- Senia
- Bahia
- Balilla
All of these rice options are short-grain, lightly rounded, and able to retain their shape during the cooking process.
The two final key ingredients that make up an authentic paella are saffron and paprika. These spices give the paella its amazing flavor!
Veganizing Paella Using Beyond Sausage
When trying to veganize this very meaty dish, we decided to go with Beyond Sausage. Beyond sausages, to me, look and taste so much like real sausage. When I first tried them, I had to ask myself, are Beyond sausages vegan? Luckily, they are completely vegan and a great meat alternative to eat on their own or in a dish like this paella recipe!
There are three different varieties of Beyond Sausage – brat original, hot Italian, and sweet Italian. We wanted all of the spices of the paella to come out so we went with the brat original for this recipe.
As for where you can buy Beyond Sausage, luckily, it is carried in a lot of major grocery stores! Whole Foods, Plum Market, Natural Grocers, Sprouts, Vons and so many more carry Beyond Sausage. Click here for the full list of locations.
What Makes a Good Paella
There are a few key elements that determine an okay paella from an incredibly delicious paella:
- A crisp, slightly caramelized bottom layer (also known as the socarrat). This layer is achieved through the fat from the sausage, even heat, and proper cook time.
- Using a paella pan or la paellera to distribute heat evenly and get you that socarrat layer. Paella pans are pretty inexpensive. I found mine at World Market for $17.
- Getting your heat source just right. Cooking the perfect paella is all about timing. You want all of the liquid to be absorbed, so the rice is fully cooked, and to cook it just enough to get the crispy bottom layer, but not too much that you end up with a burnt layer.
- Don’t stir the paella once you add the vegetable broth. If you stir the paella, it will result in a mushy texture, and you won’t get the socarrat layer.
Ready to make this delicious Beyond Sausage vegan paella? It is a great dish in so many ways. It’s:
Flavorful
Loaded with vegetables
Comforting
Only uses one-pot
Hearty
Easy to make
Let me know if you try this recipe, and please leave a comment and rating below if you do. Make sure you are also following along on Instagram and Pinterest for more food inspiration!
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES?
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- Grilled Tofu Burgers
- Broccoli Leek Soup
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- Pumpkin Soup
- Shepherd’s Pie with Beyond Beef
- Spicy Noodle Stir Fry
Beyond Sausage Vegan Paella
- Total Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An authentic Spanish recipe – Beyond Sausage vegan paella. A perfect hearty dinner idea filled with vegetables and only made in one pot!
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2x2 inch piece of seaweed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon saffron
- 2 tablespoon canola oil, divided
- 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms (about 4 cups), roughly chopped
- 3 Beyond Meat Brat Sausages, cut into rounds 1/2 inch thick
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups sweet onion, medium diced
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch slices
- 1 pound paella rice (also called Spanish bomba or Calasparra)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley stems, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon white part of green onions (about 2 stems), thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 7 ounces artichoke hearts, whole
- Parsley and lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a paella pan or cast iron over medium heat.
- In another pot, bring vegetable broth, seaweed, bay leaves, and white wine to a low simmer. Right as the liquid starts to simmer, add saffron, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let the flavors infuse together for 15 minutes. Strain out bay leaves, seaweed, and saffron and set aside.
- Coat paella pan with 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add oyster mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and are lightly browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pan into a bowl and set them aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan along with the Beyond Meat Brat Sausages. Cook for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through so each side is slightly browned. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the pan. Let the onions sweat for 10 minutes, string consistently until fragrant and translucent.
- Push the onions to the edge of the pan, so there is an empty hole in the middle. Add the bell pepper to the center and cook for five minutes.
- While the bell pepper is cooking, rinse the paella rice in cold water until it runs clear. Add the rice to the pan and mix with the onions and bell pepper until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley stems, the white part of green onions, smoked paprika, oregano, and black pepper.
- Make a hole in the middle of the paella pan and place the garlic mixture in the center. Cook for 30 seconds and then mix with the rice mixture until completely combined.
- Add the vegetable broth mixture, frozen peas, artichoke hearts, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pan and mix to combine fully.
- It is optional if you want to add the mushrooms and Beyond Sausage in a pretty pattern overtop of the paella mixture or mix them in with the rice.
- Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes until rice is completely cooked through.
- Garnish with parsley and lemon and serve!
Notes
I got my paella pan from World Market, click here for the link to it!
Always rinse your rice before cooking it. This will get rid of any debris and also remove the starchy layer on the surface of the rice that if not rinsed off would make the rice clump together and have a gummy texture.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Spanish/Portuguese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: A couple of heaping scoops
- Calories: 589
- Sugar: 3.1g
- Sodium: 1530mg
- Fat: 16.8g
- Saturated Fat: 3.6g
- Carbohydrates: 83.1g
- Fiber: 8.3g
- Protein: 23.1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: paella, savory, rice, mushrooms, saffron
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