Cast Iron Spanish Paella

A picture of Cast Iron Spanish Paella, with shrimp, sausage, and rice.

This Cast Iron Spanish Paella will leave you feeling like you’re in Barcelona.

Cast Iron Spanish Paella

Hello, fellow carb-loving friends! Have I got a treat for you. This “paella” recipe is quite the stunner and CAN be achieved as a weeknight meal. I came up with this recipe with some serious help from Tasty’s Cast Iron Paella recipe. This recipe is packed with flavor and it has a whirlwind of rice, vegetables, seafood, and meat all packaged into one cast iron pan. I used some non-traditional paella ingredients to help keep grocery shopping to just one shop (seriously, I almost considered calling this “bullsh*t paella” because the ingredients are definitely non-traditional). While it’s not strictly authentic…I was told there are better naming conventions, hahaha. Say hello to dinner!

How to Make Your Cast Iron Spanish Paella

First, we fry our chicken andouille sausage, onion, and garlic in a pan. Once everyone has some brown bits, we add the dry rice to the mixture in our pan. Get your smiley face cooking spoon here!

A picture of rice and sausage cooking in a cast iron pan.

Cooking the rice and sausage is the first step for your Cast Iron Spanish Paella.

Once everything is toasted – the tomatoes and broth go in!

A picture of broth and tomatoes cooking in a cast iron pan.

Don’t worry, it won’t always be so soupy.

Bring to a simmer and cover (lids are recommended but I also covered my pan very not-prettily with aluminum foil and it worked really well).

A picture of a cast iron pan covered with aluminum foil.

Don’t forget to cover your pan with a lid (*cough* or aluminum foil).

And now the most important part, is don’t disturb the rice until it’s done! Undoubtedly the most difficult aspect, this helps achieve the slightly crunchy rice bottom that happens in a traditional paella. Finally, we uncover our mixture quickly to add peas and shrimp. Re-cover and let the mixture steam up in the pot and we’re DONE!

Don’t forget to add a generous amount of fresh lemon juice. Fluff up, mix up, and serve!

Finale

A picture of shrimp, sausage, and rice garnished with lemon juice and parsley.

Garnish with lemon juice and parsely.

This beauty is the perfect dinner to serve on its own. Savory rice, some spice from the sausage, succulent shrimp with a bright, citrusy snap from the lemon. But…I have also quietly paired it with a sauce-based chicken like my Easy Southern Style Madras Chicken or my Chicken Ambut – South Indian Style Recipe. Cuisine mix, cultural mix – it is beautiful.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.

A picture of cast iron paella with rice, shrimp, and sausage.

Cast Iron Spanish Paella

An easy, weeknight take on the classic Spanish Paella
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine spanish
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 1 Cast Iron (other oven-safe pan)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups White Rice
  • 3 cups Broth
  • 1 pinch Saffron
  • 1 lbs Andouille-style Chicken Sausage (I used a Trader Joe's brand chicken sausage which I love because it's spicy but a little less fatty. I'm sure a traditional chorizo would also be wonderful here.)
  • 1 lbs Cooked Shrimp (Large)
  • 3 Plum Tomatoes
  • 1 cup Frozen Peas
  • 1 small Diced Onion
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Lemon (Juice for garnish, to taste)
  • 1 handful Fresh Parsley
  • 3 bulbs Garlic

Instructions
 

For the Paella:

  • First chop your sausage, tomatoes, defrost the peas, and peel the tails off the shrimp (if desired).
  • Next, pour the broth into a microwave-safe cup, add saffron, and heat the broth in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Take the broth out of the microwave and allow the saffron to steep further in the broth.
  • Place your cast iron pan on the stove and heat it to medium. Add your sausage first.
  • Once the sausage is browned and ALMOST done, add onions. Once the onions begin to brown, add the garlic and fry this mixture in the pan for a quick few seconds being careful not to burn anything.
  • Add rice to the cast iron - be sure the rice is dry (not cooked). And toast the mixture on the pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. *Make sure the sausage, rice, and onions are thoroughly mixed*
  • Finally, we'll add the tomatoes, salt, and your saffron infused-broth. Give everything another stir making sure to evenly spread the rice across the pan.
  • Bring the entire mixture to a simmer then cover with a lid or aluminum foil for 15 minutes.
  • Carefully lift the lid (or open up the aluminum) and check the rice at the top for doneness. *The rice should be cooked through (no crunch in the center) but not mushy.*
  • Once the rice is done, remove the lid and add your shrimp and peas. Cover again or reseal for 2-3 minutes to heat the shrimp through.
  • Remove the lid/foil, turn off the heat and stir one final time. Scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • Garnish with lemon juice and parsley. Serve up!
Keyword Paella, Rice, Sausage, Shrimp
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