Weeknight Skillet Paella

 It isn’t officially summertime until you’ve eaten paella (served with a glass of white wine, of course). But this hearty Spanish rice dish wouldn’t usually be simple to whip up at home on any given Wednesday…until now. Presenting our recipe for weeknight skillet paella. All you need is one pan and an oven.

The Valencian specialty gets its name from the wide, shallow pan it’s cooked in (“paella” translates to frying pan), but you can make this version in any large, oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven—ideally, one with low, sloping sides to encourage the rice to cook evenly. If you can find the traditional Bomba rice, kudos. Otherwise, use another short-grain risotto rice, like Carnaroli or Arborio.

Weeknight Skillet Paella

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ cups chopped roasted red peppers, diced
• 2 links Spanish chorizo, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1½ cups Bomba, Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken broth (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 pinch dried saffron
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound littleneck clams, washed
• 1¼ cups frozen peas, thawed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh parsley, to garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. In a large, flat, oven-safe skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
3. Stir in the peppers and chorizo. Cook until the chorizo browns slightly, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir the tomato paste into the pan and cook until it turns a deep brick red color, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 minute more.
4. Pour in the wine and broth, then add the saffron, bay leaf and lemon juice. Stir well to combine and bring the mixture to a simmer. Nestle the shrimp and clams into the pan.
5. Bake the paella, uncovered, until the clams open, 22 to 25 minutes. Gently stir in the peas. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley.