Our quick and easy Paleo Paella is a lighter version of a classic paella recipe that is Whole30/Paleo compliant! Made with a variety of seafood, slightly spicy chorizo, and served over cauliflower rice. This flavor-packed dinner will wake-up all your tastebuds!
The Best Paleo Paella
This is a really fun dish that is perfect for any time of the year! It is a wannabe paella because I am not even going to pretend I know how to make classic paella (maybe I’ll take a class someday). But I have eaten it before and I know generally what goes in it (amazing ingredients like seafood – so much seafood!). And I wanted to throw together a relatively quick and easy version of this delicious dish. And it is SO good, you guys!
If you love seafood as much as we do (which is A LOT), then you should also try our Ultimate Dairy-Free Chunky Seafood Chowder!
What You Will Need
- ghee – melt a little in the pan to get the flavor party started, option to sub with butter.
- garlic, yellow onion, & celery – sauté these together for so much flavor!
- paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper – simple seasonings that are perfect for this easy recipe.
- canned fire-roasted tomatoes – the tomato base that helps bring it all together.
- chicken broth – just a little bit for some added liquid.
- green bell pepper – a fresh vegetable that adds a bit of crunch and color.
- chorizo – we love the touch of heat and spice that this adds, but feel free to use a more mild sausage.
- shrimp, mussels, & clams – a variety of seafood adds a great depth of flavor and we are here for it!
How To Make Paleo Paella
The first steps to making this easy paella recipe are to bring a large skillet to a medium high heat and add the ghee to melt. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and then add the onions, celery, and spices to cook for a few minutes. Now add the tomatoes, broth, and salt. Mix and simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Add green pepper, chorizo, clams, and shrimp, cover, and continue to simmer for 3 minutes. Next, add in the mussels, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Be sure to mix everything half-way through that cook time. Serve over cauliflower rice and enjoy!
Best Way To Serve Paleo Paella
We love to enjoy this flavorful dish over our homemade cauliflower rice (it is so easy) or you can buy a store-bought version too. Add a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro on top and it is good to go. As always, feel free to change up some of the ingredients, if you wish. We love a mixed seafood pealla, but you can omit some of them or substitute something else. To keep this recipe card Whole30/Paleo compliant you will want to serve over cauliflower rice, but if that isn’t your thing you can serve it on white rice, brown rice, or even your favorite pasta!
Recipe Tips
1. Leave the tails on the shrimp! Yes I know it can be a pain to take them off when you are eating but they add SO much flavor!
2. Check and see if your mussels need to be debearded/prepared (very simple – check out this tutorial).
3. For the clams, the preparation will be very similar to the mussels (scrub and soak for 30 minutes), you just don’t have to debeard them (check out this tutorial for pictures of “debearding”).
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Paleo Paella
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Spanish-Inspired
Description
This Paleo Paella recipe is a fun spin on the classic paella dish that is Whole30 and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ghee (sub coconut oil, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch of ground black pepper
- 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2–3 tablespoons chicken broth
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6oz chorizo, sliced
- 1 lb mussels
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb clams
- 1/2 – 1 lb raw shrimp, tail-on
Instructions
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat and add ghee to melt.
- Add garlic to the hot pan and move around until fragrant. Add onion, celery, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes or until slightly softened.
- Add tomatoes, broth, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix and let simmer, uncovered, for approximately 5-10 minutes.
- Add green pepper and chorizo; mix. Add clams and shrimp, ensure sauce is simmering, and cover tightly for 3 minutes.
- Remove lid just long enough to add mussels, cover tightly again for 5 minutes.
- Uncover, mix, and then cover and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
- By this time, all the mussels and clams should be open and your shrimp should be fully cooked.
- Taste and add any additional salt or pepper, as needed.
- Serve with cauliflower rice to be Whole30/Paleo compliant or use another type of rice, if desired.
Notes
- Storage: typically we suggest enjoying seafood right away, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. If you do, we suggest removing the mussels and clams from their shell to reheat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 3.7 g
- Sodium: 1051.1 mg
- Fat: 14.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7 g
- Protein: 28.1 g
- Cholesterol: 145.9 mg
Gretchen says
What a fantastic recipe! I especially loved the idea of leaving the tails on the shrimp – it made such a big difference in the dish’s flavor.