Oven Baked Spanish Paella Recipe

Finished oven baked paella with shrimp, served with lemon wedges.

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This Oven Baked Paella starts on the stovetop and finishes in the oven, so the rice cooks evenly without any stirring. Chorizo and capsicum build a rich, smoky base, and the prawns go in for the last few minutes so they stay tender. It serves 4 and is ready in just over an hour, most of it hands off!

Prep Time15

Cook Time53

Total Time1 8

Servings: servings

Calories: 982kcal

Author: Sarah Bell

Ingredients

250 mg approx. ½ teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion diced
1 red capsicum core and seeds removed, diced
4 garlic cloves minced
2 chorizo sliced
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 ½ cups arborio rice
3 ½ cups chicken broth or stock
2 fresh tomatoes diced
½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
Bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
1 cup green peas
500 grams raw shelled prawns

To serve

1 lemon cut into wedges

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F (conventional).
Add about 1 cup of the stock to a small saucepan and turn to a low heat. Once the stock is warm but not simmering, turn off the heat. Add the saffron threads and set aside for the saffron to bloom.
Bring a large shallow casserole pan to a medium heat. Add half of the olive oil and then the sliced chorizo. Brown on both sides then transfer the chorizo to a paper towel lined plate. Use paper towel to carefully remove as much oil from the pan as you can. Add the remaining olive oil and then the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the diced red capsicum and sauté, stirring, until the capsicum is tender. Add the garlic and paprika and sauté until fragrant.
Add the rice, all the broth, tomatoes and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Turn off the heat and cover the pan with the lid. Place into the oven to bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, carefully remove from the oven, stir through the green peas and half of the parsley. Spread the prawns over the top if the rice, cover and place back into the oven for 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the prawns through the rest of the paella. Serve warm topped with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Notes

Saffron – 250mg is about ½ teaspoon of threads. Don't skip blooming it in warm stock, as this releases the colour and flavour. If you can't find saffron, use ½ teaspoon ground turmeric for colour.
Rice – traditional paella rice like bomba or calasparra can be used in place of arborio. Avoid long grain rice, as it won't absorb the liquid in the same way.
Pan – you will need a large oven-safe pan with a lid. If you don't have one, transfer everything to a baking dish and cover tightly with foil before baking.
Tomatoes – you can swap the fresh tomatoes for a 400 gram tin of diced tomatoes. Reduce the stock by ½ cup.
Prawns – use raw, peeled and deveined prawns. If they're frozen, thaw them and pat dry with paper towel before adding.
Add chicken – for a heartier paella, brown 300 grams of diced chicken thigh after the chorizo and add it back in with the rice.
Gluten free – check that your chorizo and stock are gluten free.
Nutrition facts are an estimate only.

Nutrition