Vegetable Paella with Saffron, Artichoke and Sweet Peas
The showpiece of the week, and worth clearing an evening for. Saffron rice simmered with a garden of summer vegetables - artichoke, sweet peas, red pepper, green beans, cherry tomato, and blistered shishitos - until the bottom crisps into a golden socarrat. It comes to the table in the pan and everyone leans in. Completely plant-based, and a real celebration.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Serves
- 4
- Method
- Simmer
Once the rice goes in, resist stirring - that stillness is what lets the bottom layer crisp into the socarrat, the golden crust that is the best part of any paella. Listen for the gentle crackle near the end; that is the pan telling you it is ready.
What actually matters here
- Do not stir once the rice is in - the still bottom is what forms the crispy socarrat.
- Bloom the saffron in warm stock so its color and flavor spread through the whole pan.
- Use a wide pan so the rice cooks in a thin, even layer.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
Base
- 2 cupsSpanish bomba or arborio rice
- 1onion, diced
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 2tomatoes, grated
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 pinchsaffron threads
- 5 cupswarm vegetable stock
- 3 tbspolive oil
Vegetables
- 1 jarartichoke hearts, quartered
- 1 1/2 cupspeas (fresh or frozen)
- 1red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 lbgreen beans, trimmed
- 1 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
- 6shishito peppers
To Finish
- 1lemon, in wedges
- good olive oil
Before you start
- Bloom the saffron in a little warm stock; keep the rest of the stock warm.
- Grate the tomatoes; slice the pepper, trim the green beans, halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Blister the shishitos in a hot dry pan until charred, and set aside.
Method
- Soften the onion in olive oil in a wide pan; add garlic, grated tomato, and smoked paprika and cook to a jammy sofrito.
- Stir in the rice to coat, then add the saffron stock and the rest of the warm stock.
- Tuck in the artichoke, red pepper, and green beans; season and bring to a simmer.
- Cook 18 to 20 minutes without stirring, nestling in the cherry tomatoes and blistered shishitos and adding the peas in the last 5.
- Raise the heat 2 minutes at the end until you hear the bottom crackle into a socarrat.
- Rest 5 minutes, then finish with lemon and good olive oil.
How you know it is right
- The rice is tender and separate, not mushy.
- The bottom has a golden, crisp socarrat.
- The vegetables are sweet, charred, and generous on top.
- The saffron perfumes the whole pan.
How to serve it
Bring the pan to the table and serve with lemon wedges and a green salad.
If you want it simpler
- A jar of artichoke hearts and frozen peas keep the prep quick.
- No saffron? A pinch of turmeric gives the color, though not quite the aroma.
Build the sofrito, do not stir the rice, pile on the vegetables, and chase the socarrat at the end.
This dish came from the SEASON plan for August 3 - 9, 2026, alongside nine other dinners and one shopping list.
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Written and tested by Chef Michael Rossi, who has spent thirty years in professional kitchens including Napa Rose, THE RANCH, The Masters at Augusta National, and The Beach Club. Every SEASON recipe is one he has cooked on a real line before it reaches a home kitchen.