Nothing quite like a warm, rich, hearty rice dish to spice up a Friday evening. This one-pot easy paella recipe is a simple enough to make mid week, and impressive enough to earn a place in your Instagram story, which is why it’s getting the ‘Friday night’ tick of approval. Pair with a red lip, a glass of red and some groovy tunes.

It’s also suitable for camping or hiking as the ingredients are light and keep well – just omit the peas and prawns! (And maybe add a little more chorizo because… yum!). Easy paella, get in my belly!

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 carrot (roughly chopped)
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (stalks and leaves chopped separately)
• 100 g chorizo (roughly chopped) (extra if you need to remove the prawns)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 capsicum (roughly chopped)
• 1 sachet tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 300 g rice
• 100 g frozen peas (omit if making on hike)
• 200 grams peeled green prawns (omit if making on hike)
• 1 lemon

Method

1. Put a glug of olive oil into a large, lidded pan (a deep saucepan works) on medium heat, then add the garlic, onion, carrot, parsley stalks, chorizo and paprika, and fry for around 5 mins.
2. Add capsicum to pan for around 5 mins. Meanwhile, put 1L of water in the kettle and turn it on.
3. Add tomato puree and crumbled stock cube and stir through.
4. Add rice and stir through for a few minutes.
5. Pour in 750ml boiling water, a pinch of salt and pepper. Put the lid on and bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for about 15 mins, stirring every few minutes. You can add a splash of water if needed.
6. Stir through peas and prawns and replace the lid until cooked – around 5 minutes.
7. Season, garnish with parsley leaves and serve with lemon wedges.

If you loved this, you’ll love Cal’s epic Pumpkin and Coconut Curry.