Easy Slow-Cooker Paella // GF

This recipe was originally posted in October 2013 and has since been rephotographed and revamped for relevancy and quality! 

Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish has been around for ages and everyone seems to put their own spin on it. My spin, is to healthify it a bit, and simplify it, by doing the whole ‘set it, and forget it’ thing. Because you know, easy is my jam. 

It had been a long time since I had paella, the last time being a few summers ago at a neat little restaurant in downtown Edmonton called Tzin. As soon as I saw it on the menu I knew that’s what I’d be ordering as I’m a sucker for seafood and love the flavours in this delicious dish. We are headed to Seattle next week and you better believe I’ll be getting my fill of fresh seafood!

Unfortunately paella isn’t something you see on restaurant menus very often but there’s something about it that’s so comforting, making it the perfect Fall dish. It’s warming and full of different flavours, textures, and hearty goodness!

Since enjoying this delicious dish a while back and posting it on the blog, I realized looking through my web analytics that it’s another past NITK recipe that still gets a lot of traffic. The recipe was shared on a couple highly visited websites and it looks like people are still in the mood for Paella often! So I decided this delicious, healthier, warming Paella could use a little revamp and this past week I pulled out my slow-cooker and made it happen.

The paella contains a mixture of brown rice, chicken sausage, peppers, peas, and tomatoes, the perfect mix of spices, and of course seafood galore including prawns, scallops, and mussels. It’s also incredibly fool proof and brings a delicious smell to the whole house. The combination of ingredients makes a well-balanced meal rich in fibre, complex carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins and minerals.

Also, another benefit, slow-cooker meals are great for busy people, and really, who isn’t busy these days?! Make this Paella on a Sunday and you can enjoy it a few times throughout the week. Or, you can simply throw a batch of servings in the freezer for meals on those nights when you just don’t want to cook or need something quick.

When’s the last time you had Paella?! Go on, pull out that slow-cooker, and bring a little Spanish flair into your kitch!

Also, be sure to follow along on Instagram as I share our Seattle vacation and all the places I’m indulging in seafood next week! 

5.0 from 1 reviews

Easy Slow-Cooker Paella // GF

 

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Easy Slow-Cooker Paella (gluten free!) Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 hours Total time: 4 hours 10 mins Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 links organic chicken or pork sausage
• 340 g frozen seafood medley (easiest option) OR a mix of prawns, scallops, and mussels (1 cup each)
• 1½ cups (dry) long grain brown rice
• 1½ cups organic chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ cup fennel, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups diced canned tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika
• 1½ teaspoons garlic salt
• lemon wedge and fennel sprigs to garnish

Instructions

1. In a pan, brown the sausage links for 5-7 minutes, then cut into slices.
2. Add the chicken, rice, onion, fennel, bell pepper, tomatoes, broth, salt and spices to the slow-cooker, and mix to combine.
3. Cook on high for 3½ hours.
4. After the paella has been cooking for 3½ hours, give it a good stir.
5. Option 1: Under cold running water, thaw the seafood and peas, then mix the seafood and the peas in with the paella, and cook on high for another 30 minutes.
6. Option 2: Add the peas to the slow cooker and cook for an additional 30 minutes. 20 minutes later, in a large pan, add the raw prawns, scallops, and mussles with ½ cup of white wine and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until fully cooked, then add to paella.*
7. Divide paella into 6-8 servings and garnish with fennel sprigs and a lemon wedge!
8. Enjoy!

Notes

* Adding a bagged frozen seafood mixture is the easiest option but the seafood doesn't "stand out" as much as if you sauté it separately in a pan then add to the paella mixture after. That's what I did for the photos and you can see the seafood is the star of the dish!

Either option will still taste great 🙂
3.5.3208

3.5.3251

* Recipe Inspired by Wanna Bite 

Have a wonderful Sunday!