Paella - Oven Style

Paella can be an intimidating dish to make because a) it's something we are typically unfamiliar with because it's not served in many restaurants b) it has quite a few unfamiliar spices (saffron) and c) it can take some time (stirring rice as it slowly cooks does not quite qualify as fun to me).

All of that being said, I have a paella pan and maybe make the dish 1 time per year. Which is a bummer because Cory & I LOVE to eat it!

Each week, I receive email notifications from Conde Nast. They sent out the recipes that are trending across various food websites. As I was scrolling through this past week's, I found a recipe for Sheet-Pan Paella. I have read recipes (Ina Garten's) about doing risotto in the oven instead of stove-top but had not tried it yet. I quickly added it to our menu for the week and Monday night was Paella night!

It turned out beautifully and I recommend you try this at home. The original recipe can be found on epicurious at this link but I have made some alterations to it :) The ingredient list looks long but it is very simple. I have divided the ingredient list into sections, by step.

Sheet Pan Paella with Sausage, Shrimp and Mussels

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350
Step 2: Spray large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray then spread the rice on the sheet. Toast the rice for about 5 minutes.

• Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
• 1 c short-grain rice (such as Arborio) - you can find this in stores like Walmart now

Step 3: In a medium sauce pan, combine the following ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a low boil then remove from the heat. 

• 2 1/4 c low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t rosemary 
• 1 t sea salt

Step 4: After the rice has been toasted, pour the liquid mixture over the rice and add the diced tomatoes and sliced onions to the mixture. Stir well. Cover the baking sheet with another baking sheet or foil, then put back into the oven for 20 minutes. 

• 1/2 c white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 c diced tomatoes

Step 5: Toss shrimp with 1/2 t salt and set aside. 

• 4 oz medium shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, tails left intact
• 1/2 t kosher salt, divided

Step 6: As the rice is cooking, prep the rest of your ingredients in a bowl:

• 1 smoked sausage (recommend an original flavor or something with spice if you like that) - sliced into 1/2 inch rounds (you can slice thinner if you desire)
• 1/2 c sliced roasted red peppers (jarred)
• 1/4 c green olives, pitted, sliced
• 1 lb mussels, recommend you buy the precooked mussels at the store
• 1 can of cannellini beans, drained

Step 7: After the rice mixture has cooked for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir it well. Bake for 5 more minutes, uncovered. If the rice looks a little dry to you, add a little bit more water. 

Step 8: After the rice has cooked for 5 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the pan & stir (shrimp & sausage/veggie mixture). Heat for 8 - 10 minutes more, covered, until the shrimp is cooked through. 

I also recommend buying a lemon or two to serve on the side, to squeeze over the seafood. 

Bon appetit!

Additional ideas to customize your paella - if you don't like seafood, you can substitute chicken in place of the shrimp and mussels. Dice about 1/2 - 1 pound of chicken and after the rice has cooked about 10 minutes of the 20, toss the chicken into the mixture to cook.