Vegan Fideua "Pasta Paella"

Vegan Fideua "Pasta Paella"

We are going to get a little spicy and move into a spanish dish. This Paella is one that I find to be a major comfort food after making it for my family. Its hearty and unlike the rice paellas, easier to prepare. Full of proteins and veggies you almost feel like you are healthy...until you have a couple plates! This dish will have you saying "Olé!"

Vegan Fideua "Pasta Paella"

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
-1 Spicy Mexican Sausage, casing removed, cut into small pieces
(Field Roast, if you don't have that you can use Soyrizo)
-3 Vegan Chicken Patties or Cutlet/Scallopinis, cut into cubes (Gardein)

-3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt, plus extra for seasoning (if needed)
-3/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, plus extra for seasoning (if needed)

-6 large Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
-1 small Fennel Bulb, chopped
-1 small Onion, chopped
-1 medium Red Bell Pepper, stemmed & seeded, diced
-24oz Vegan Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
-1 15-ounce Can Diced Tomatoes in juice
-1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
-1/4 teaspoon finely Stem Saffron
-3 Bay Leaves
-8 ounces Spaghetti, broken in quarters
-1/3 cup roughly chopped Fresh Italian Parsley

Optional
-1 package Vegan Shrimp and/or Vegan Fish Fillets (if you have it, you can get it online if interested)

-1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, if using none-spicy sausage or want recipe a lot
spicier

Directions

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven or pot. Add the sausages and stir, breaking up the sausages into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sausage to a medium bowl, using a slotted spoon.

Add the garlic, fennel, onion, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to the pan. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper, paprika, saffron, cayenne (optional), and bay leaves. Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan & other vegan meats if desired. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes on reduced heat, medium-low. Remove the bay leaves CAREFULLY and discard. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Mix in the parsley and serve with crusty bread & salad. Enjoy!

Tips

*Saffron can be found at a lot of Indian or Middle Eastern Markets. You can also finding it online or like I did at my local farmers market. Sometimes you need to ask specifically for it and see if its in stock because of price. Its a little pricey...but I can tell you, you can get 4 or 5 recipes out of 1 vile. Worth it in the long run.

-Amy