Fresh Green Pesto Paella

Fresh Green Pesto Paella

We've been making this one on repeat and honestly it might be our favourite way to do paella right now. The pesto twist is a total game changer, it gives the whole dish this fresh, herby brightness that you just don't get from a traditional version. You've got tender asparagus, green beans, and perfectly cooked rice all soaking up those incredible flavours. It looks seriously impressive on the table too, which is great when you want to cook something special without spending all evening in the kitchen. Trust us, once you've made this you'll wonder why you ever did paella any other way.

Cook: 55 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Wide, thin-based paella pan
  • Food processor
  • Microplane or zester
  • Glass jar for storing pesto

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 200g asparagus
  • 200g green beans
  • 90ml olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 lemon
  • 155ml dry white wine
  • 1 tsp bouillon powder
  • 200g paella rice
  • 160g frozen peas
  • 200g spinach
  • 60g toasted pine nuts
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 60g fresh basil leaves & stalks
  • 20g rocket
  • 50g plant-based grated parmesan
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 300ml extra virgin olive oil
  • handful of fresh basil leaves
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • toasted pine nuts

Method

1

Prepare the ingredients

  • Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic.
  • Trim off the white ends and the woody tails off the asparagus and green beans respectively, and chop both into roughly 10cm chunks.
2

Make the paella

  • Heat the oil in a wide, thin-based pan and add the onion and salt until softened (around 5-8 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  • Stir in the rice and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the wine and cook until bubbly.
  • Add 1 litre water, bouillon and zest the lemon directly into the pan | Simmer for 12 minutes.
  • Add the asparagus, beans, peas and spinach on top of the dish, pushing them well into the rice but not otherwise disturbing it.
  • Cook for 12 minutes on a low heat uncovered, then set aside off heat with lid on for 10 minutes (or cover with foil) to let the rice continue cooking in its steam while you make the pesto.
3

Make the fresh pesto

  • Blend all the pesto ingredients in a food processor except the olive oil until you have a thickish paste, then gradually incorporate the oil until you have a smooth sauce.
  • If using a pestle and mortar, crush the toasted pine nuts with the salt and garlic first, before  crushing in the basil followed by the cheese and then the oil and lemon juice.
  • Spoon half the pesto into paella and leave the rest aside in a glass jar topped up with more oil.
4

Time to serve

  • Garnish the paella with fresh basil, more toasted pine nuts and wedges of lemon.

Tips & Variations

  • Use the right rice: Paella rice or a short-grain risotto rice works best here. It absorbs the stock beautifully without going mushy, which is exactly what you want.
  • Don't rush the onions: We know it's tempting to crank the heat, but giving the onion a proper slow cook at the start builds a flavour base that carries the whole dish. Five to eight minutes is worth it.
  • Make it your own: Ian loves throwing in some frozen peas or broad beans for extra green vibes. Henry always adds a little squeeze of lemon right at the end to lift everything.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting the rice properly toasted in the pan before you add any liquid, that's what gives you that nutty depth underneath all the fresh green flavours. What really makes this sing is stirring the pesto through at the end rather than cooking it down, so you keep all that vibrant colour and fragrance. We find letting it sit for a couple of minutes off the heat before serving makes a real difference too.