Spanish Paella
Paella is a traditional Spanish rice dish that features different protein sources (often meat or fish), a variety of veggies (including green beans, peas and peppers) and spices like paprika and saffron. I cut the calories and carbs by making a version using “cauliflower rice.” You can enjoy a hearty two-cup serving for less than 200 calories. Compare that to the real McCoy, which goes for about 680 calories. Score!
Spanish Paella
Paella is a traditional Spanish rice dish that features different protein sources, a variety of veggies and spices like paprika and saffron.
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds spicy turkey or chicken sausage links
- ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 1½ cups frozen green peas, thawed
- 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Saffron to taste, optional
Instructions
- Liberally coat a large pot with nonstick oil spray and warm over medium heat. Add the sausages, pepper and onion.
- When the sausages are partially cooked and firm enough to slice (I generally slice them while they’re still in the pot), cut them into bite-sized pieces. Stir occasionally, until the sausages are fully cooked.
- While the sausages cook, make the cauliflower rice: Rinse the cauliflower and pat it dry (it’s important for the cauliflower to be as dry as possible). Break the cauliflower head into large florets.
- One small batch at a time, place a handful of florets into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds to chop into rice-like pieces. Be careful not to overpulse or load too many florets into the food processor at one time, or you’ll wind up with pureed cauliflower.
- Transfer each batch of cauliflower rice to a bowl until you finish the entire head. If you don’t have a food processor, you can create small, uniform pieces using a coarse grater.
- Add the cauliflower rice to the pot with the cooked sausage. Then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt, sautéing over medium heat for about 15 minutes, scraping the bottom to incorporate the sausage flavors.
- Add the peas and shrimp to the pot and mix well. Cover and continue to cook until the shrimp is fully cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper and a pinch of saffron, if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Makes 14 cups; 2 cups per serving
Note: If you have picky eaters, feel free to add two cups of cooked brown rice before mixing in the peas and shrimp. This tweak adds about 65 calories and 14 grams of carbs per serving.
Nutrition Information per serving
Calories: 195Carbohydrates: 8gProtein: 24gTotal Fat: 7g— Unsaturated Fat: 7g— Saturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 780mgFiber: 2gTotal Sugar: 1.5g— Natural Sugar: 1.5g— Added Sugar: 0g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe!
If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!
I know this is an old recipe but I have had it on rotation so often I feel the need to review it!
Made it exactly as written the first time, so good but making cauliflower rice is an extra step that I wondered if I could skip. I tried it with frozen cauliflower rice and it was even better! (I think my food processing might have been more inconsistent than the prepackaged stuff, so it came out even more “rice like”) I don’t even defrost the frozen bag of cauliflower rice and it isn’t too watery!
It says saffron is optional. I know it is expensive but it doesn’t take much and it makes this taste like traditional paella!
Thanks for this awesome idea which is now a family favorite! So easy to brown the sausage and stir everything else together for a few min, add shrimp and your one pan dinner is done! And leftovers (if there are any) are just as yummy!
Thank you so much for your kind words — and for taking the time to share this wonderful review on an old favorite recipe! I love that you found a simple swap with frozen cauliflower rice, and I couldn’t agree more about saffron; a little goes a long way. Wishing you good health and many more delicious dishes ahead!