A tasty Cheat’s Paella ready in just 10 minutes using a few cooking hacks! Perfect for when you need to feed the family fast!
We all have days when we get home and need to get something on the table to feed our family fast!
Days like this it can be tempting to reach for the takeaway menu or a ready-meal, but I’m going to show you how you can create something delicious and nutritious in just 10 minutes, starting with my Cheat’s Paella.
Time Saving Cooking Hacks
They key to my 10 minute meals is using frozen basics like onions and garlic. It saves you time peeling and chopping, simply add straight from the freezer to the pan.
In this recipe I’m also using frozen sliced peppers, another game-changer for me!
Storage Instructions
Leftovers can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave or on the hob.
This recipe can also be frozen in a freezer bag or container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the hob.
If you try making my Cheat’s Paella please do leave a comment below and share your pictures with me on on Instagram. I always love to see your creations!
You can also watch my video showing my 4 favourite 10 minute meal ideas below.
ORDER my new book THE FUSS-FREE FAMILY COOKBOOK out now. 100 healthy easy and quick recipes that the whole family will enjoy!
10 Minute Meal – Cheat’s Paella
Prep Time: 1 min- Cook Time: 9 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Spanish, European
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A tasty Cheat’s Paella ready in just 10 minutes using a few cooking hacks!
Ingredients
- frozen onions (equivalent of 1 medium onion)
- frozen garlic (equivalent of 2 cloves)
- frozen peppers (equivalent of 2 peppers)
- 75g chorizo, chopped
- 100g cooked chicken, chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 packs microwave vegetable rice
- 50ml water
Instructions
- Add the onions, garlic, peppers and chorizo to a large frying pan.
- Stir well and fry for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken and paprika and mix well.
- Add the packs of microwave rice and a couple of tablespoons of the water.
- Stir well and cook for about 4 minutes until the rice is piping hot. If needed add more water.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and parsley (optional).
Notes
Leftovers can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave or on the hob. This recipe can also be frozen in a freezer bag or container. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the hob.
If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy:
15 Minute Meals for Kids
Jennifer Rogers says
Made this for the first time with a slight adjustment as had only balsamic rice but went down well & will definitely be cooking again
Vicky says
Hi Jennifer, Great news and fab it worked well with balsamic rice as well. Please share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram. Happy cooking.
Gwen B says
Cheats Paella is a winner. Love all the tips – best of all doing away with junk and processed foods which are so detrimental to one’s health.
Thank you.☺️
★★★★★
Vicky says
Brilliant! so glad you loved it, and we think its a great quick summer meal that hopefully the whole family can enjoy. Thank you so much for coming back to share your review. Looking forward to hearing from you soon with more of our recipes that you have tried. Happy cooking x
Jennifer says
Made it & it was fantastic.
Used egg fried rice which worked well.
★★★★
Lindsey says
This was great! I just wish the measurements were in cups instead of grams.
★★★★★
Geraldine Mullan says
Can the paella be frozen please?
Bianca Carey Spencer says
Hi Geraldine, yes any leftovers can be frozen.
Emma says
One of our favourite recipes. Love paella but it’s usually reserved for weekends when we’ve more time but this is perfect to do midweek and really tasty.
★★★★★
Claire says
You’re a flipping genius! Thank you for taking the time to put this up!
★★★★★
Eleni says
My kids both loved this recipe. Particularly surprising as they usually don’t like “bits”, but they practically inhaled it!
★★★★★
Maura says
Wow! I love this. We really like paella but don’t have it very often as I find it can be a bit of a faff. So pleased to have found this recipe. We had it for tea on Sunday night and it was a huge hit. We added a few frozen cooked prawns to ours as well and it was lovely. xxx
★★★★★
Natalie L Statham says
Excellent quick family dinner.My children especially enjoyed the paella they are two and six.We have MyFussyEater book and app we love the recipes
★★★★★
Faye says
Paella is one of our favourite family dinners but can be a real faff to make so I’m loving this cheat’s one. We can now have one of our favourite meals mid-week. Thanks for sharing. x
★★★★★