Somehow it is raining in June.
You know, because June is wet season in the Bay Area.
The weather can be so random sometimes.
The last time I made this dish, it was also raining. It was so rainy that when I was driving home, I sat in traffic for two hours (to go 30 miles). When I got home, I think the husband was worried about my mental state, especially since it was late, I was cranky, and I was in no mood to cook.
But, I also couldn’t bear the thought of eating takeout after such a long day.
So, I decided to power through and try a recipe that I already had the ingredients for at home. A recipe that would warm me up from the inside out and make me forget about the fact that it was raining, and that I had just spent 2 hours of my life in the car. A recipe that had the beautiful aromatic flavors of saffron, cumin, paprika – that reminded me of warm tropical days in far off destinations.
This Quinoa Veggie Paella was inspired by a recipe I found on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, but I’ve dressed it up and added many more spices than the original version. My version is below, and you can find the original here.
It was the perfect cure for a rainy day.
The Ingredients
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/4 tsp saffron, crushed
- 2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 14-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters (optional, I omitted this because the husband doesn’t like artichokes)
- A few healthy splashes of lemon juice (about the juice of 1/2-1 lemon)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
- Sliced almonds
by Anjali Shah @ The Picky Eater
Makes 6 servings, each serving has ~300 calories, with 10g fiber and 13g protein
The Ingredients
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/4 tsp saffron, crushed
- 2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 14-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters (optional, I omitted this because the husband doesn’t like artichokes)
- A few healthy splashes of lemon juice (about the juice of 1/2-1 lemon)
- 1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
- Sliced almonds
The Directions
Hello! I'm Anjali. I'm a 20 something living in the SF Bay Area, with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty, and fun! Try some of 
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
I know, the rain was crazy huh? I bet this paella was comforting. I love that the recipe uses quinoa. I love quinoa and I feel it’s often overlooked for other grains. You just reminded me to get some more
I completely agree – quinoa is a great healthy grain substitute for just about anything! I’ve started using it in most rice dishes and it works perfectly (and is much healthier for you since it’s a complete protein and high in fiber!)
What an excellent idea! I love quinoa and paella, but have never thought of combining the two before!
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe!
healthy paella
This sounds deliciously healthy! I love paella, and will have to try this version.
I hope you like it Jeanette!
This looks incredible–I am definitely going to make this one! Thank you for sharing.
I’m sure you will love it Alexandra!
Looks great! It’s just in time for summer squash season too! A great meal for June Gloom weather.
Haha exactly! June Gloom – I love it
just bought some quinoa this weekend. now i have a recipe to try. looks really nice.
Awesome! I can’t wait to hear what you think! Is this your first time trying quinoa?
Oh wow, that looks amazing!! How beautiful and flavorful!
Thanks so much!!
This looks fantastic. Lots of veggies and full of flavorful spices.
Thanks Suzi! I love that this recipe has tons of veggies and protein as well – it’s truly a complete meal!
Quinoa and paella are two of my favourites! This looks awesome. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Larry!! I’m sure you will love this when you try it!
This sounds great…I’ve never made paella before, but I love all the veggies you put in it! Can’t wait to try it
Thanks Elizabeth! Let me know how you like the recipe!
This looks absolutely perfect! I love to take dishes like this and mix and match the veggies. This would be awesome too with some shredded cabbage and a toss of crushed cashews. Must try out this fantastic creation!
LOVE the idea of adding cabbage to this! I’m sure cashews would taste great as well. And you’re totally right, you can pretty much use the quinoa and spices as a base for just about any veggie/protein combo, and it’ll still be delicious and just as healthy! Enjoy!
When I saw the recipes I start to cook. Just a great guide for delicious food. Whatever you write another such comment will be less to express my their views on a job well done. I wish you a nice minutes with this famous recipes.
Best regards from Bulgaria
Thanks! Nice to meet you!
Excellent recipe! I loved it and I love that you’re not afraid to add so much spices/flavor. Many recipes are bland to us, but this was perfect.
One question though, you mention chili in the ingredients, but you don’t mention it in the instructions. I assume you meant to add it in step 3 or maybe not? I didn’t add it and it was still great with the cumin and paprika flavor.
Thanks Matt! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Oh and thank you so much for the heads up – you are right that I meant to add the chili powder in step 3
I just updated the post to reflect that – great catch!! Try it with the chili powder next time and let me know what you think!
This looks really good! I love the idea of clean paella. However I’m a student so I only cook for myself and i was wondering if with the quinoa in, is this recipe okay for freezing and reheating do you think?
Hi Alex! I think you can absolutely freeze and reheat this recipe. I’d reheat it on the stovetop vs. the microwave just so the quinoa doesn’t get mushy – but I think it would taste just as good after freezing and reheating
Let me know how you like it!
Just made this for dinner for my family; absolutely delicious (and absolutely stuffed)
Mum wanted to finish leftover wholemeal tortilla wraps so we individually spooned the paella into ripped pieces of bread and ate them like mini taco’s! Thanks for the recipe! 
Haha! That’s so great – I love getting stuffed full with healthy and tasty food – I do it quite often
Oh and what a great idea to use this as a “taco” filling! I’ll be doing that the next time I make this and have leftovers. Thanks for sharing Evelyn!
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