This gorgeous Spanish Saffron Rice with Lemon, Shrimp, and Sausage is inspired by paella, but created with weeknight cooking in mind. Layers of flavor come from spices, herbs, shrimp, sausage, and plenty of vegetables plus a golden saffron and paprika scented rice. The bright lemon flavor and the sunny hue will brighten any weeknight dinner or meal with friends.
Traditional Spanish paella is a rice dish cooked over open flame in a shallow pan (called a paella) that promotes the creation of the socarrat. This prized layer of crispy, browned rice is flavored by the meat and vegetables. It takes time and careful management of the flame to develop the socarrat! Paella is perfect for a weekend cooking project, but not exactly weeknight friendly.
Enter this Spanish saffron rice recipe! I've called it "cheater paella" in the past because it has many of the components of the famous dish but with a shorter prep. The sausage, shrimp, and vegetables cook in a skillet separately from the yellow rice. Everything is combined at the end along with lemon juice and zest. We love to use our pressure cooker as a shortcut for this rice dish, just like in this recipe for Mujadara!
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they'll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Medium Grain Rice - Use medium grain rice to get a texture that isn't fluffy with individual grains but also won't turn mushy with cooking and then finishing in the skillet.
- Chicken Broth or Stock - Use broth or stock that's homemade, canned, or from a carton. Vegetable broth will also work here, if you prefer that flavor.
- Saffron - Saffron is a spice that comes from crocus flowers. The thin threads give the dish the bright yellow color and also a distinctive grassy flavor. Collecting the stigmas from the crocuses is labor intensive, making this spice the most expensive (by weight) in the world! You'll find saffron in specialty stores and high end grocery stores, but I've sourced mine at a local Indian grocery store. You only need a quarter teaspoon to get the rich golden color in the dish.
- Smoked Paprika - This dish is inspired by Spanish paella, which is often cooked over wood fire. To get that smoky note in a weeknight-friendly dish, add smoked paprika.
- Sausage - Choose your own adventure here. Sweet or hot Italian sausage (removed from the casing and crumbled), sliced chicken sausage (chicken andouille is what is shown in the photographs here), merguez, or chorizo all work.
- Shrimp - Use frozen and thawed shrimp or fresh shrimp. A 31-40 count size is a good option. This means there are 31-40 shrimp per pound. I like to remove the shells and tail before cooking, but this is entirely up to your preference when eating the final dish.
- Garlic - Plenty of fresh minced garlic will add an important aromatic layer to the dish.
- Oregano - Use fresh oregano leaves here if they are available, but dried oregano will also get the job done.
- Green Bell Pepper - Use a fresh bell pepper in this recipe, frozen bell peppers are a bit mushy once they get cooked down.
- Green Beans - You can use either fresh or frozen green beans in this recipe. Cut fresh green beans into bite-sized pieces. Thaw frozen beans and then cut, if needed.
- Frozen Peas - Frozen peas are so convenient, they don't need to be thawed before adding straight to the skillet! If you have only fresh peas, cook them along with the bell peppers and green beans.
- Lemon - Use a fresh lemon! The aroma from the oils in the zest and the bright flavor from the juice are part of the flavor profile of the dish. Zest your lemon first to yield about 1 teaspoon or zest. Then juice the lemon for 3 tablespoons of juice.
Pressure Cooker Saffron Rice
Start this dish off by preparing the rice. While the rice is cooking, you finish up the meat and vegetables so you can get this meal to the table as efficiently as possible! We use our Instant Pot for this method almost every time we make this recipe.
Add the rice, 2 ½ cups of chicken stock, saffron, and smoked paprika to the insert of the pressure cooker. Cook the rice using manual high pressure for five minutes, and allow a natural release of the pressure for 10 minutes.
Perform a quick release to release the remaining pressure. Fluff the rice and keep it warm until adding it to the skillet.
Stove Top Saffron Rice
To make the rice on the stove top, add 4 cups of chicken broth or stock, rice, saffron, and paprika to a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to get a slow simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 12-15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Fluff the rice and keep it warm until you add it to the skillet.
Cook the Vegetables, Shrimp, and Sausage
Trim the green beans to bite-sized pieces, mince the garlic, dice the bell pepper, zest and juice the lemon, and chop the oregano.
Slice the sausage or remove it from any casings. Clean the shrimp and remove the shells and tails, if desired.
Preheat your large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and heat the oil until it is shimmering. Cook the sausage in the skillet, about 3 minutes per side.
Add the shrimp to the browned sausage and cook it, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.
Once the shrimp is pink and cooked through, remove both the sausage and shrimp to a plate.
Add the bell peppers, green beans, salt, pepper, and oregano to the skillet. Sauté everything for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan with the moisture released by the vegetables. Fresh green beans will need a couple of extra minutes to cook thoroughly.
Add the garlic to the vegetables and sauté for 1-2 minutes. If the rice is not ready yet, remove the skillet from the heat until it is.
Once the rice is ready, lower the skillet to medium-low heat and add the rice, peas, lemon zest and juice, sausage, and shrimp.
Mix everything together gently for 2-3 minutes, cooking the peas and distributing the ingredients evenly in the rice.
Substitutions and Variations
The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Use Your Favorite Sausage - The photos in this post feature a chicken andouille sausage, but a sweet or hot Italian sausage, merguez sausage, or chorizo are all delicious options.
- More Herbs - Add parsley or thyme in addition to the oregano.
- Add or Swap Vegetables - Use red peppers instead of green, add diced zucchini, omit the peas, the vegetables are up to you!
Equipment
Most importantly, you need a large enough skillet or pot to hold the sauteed vegetables, sausage, shrimp, and rice. Here are details of my favorite kitchen tools to prepare this tasty dish:
- Stainless Steel Skillet - A large and sturdy stainless steel skillet is great for developing flavor while browning the sausage. A 12-inch skillet with sloped sides will have the capacity to hold all of the ingredients in the saffron rice. You can also cook this dish using a shallow enameled cast iron braiser. A large non-stick skillet will absolutely do the job, though you may not get the same browning of the meat and veggies.
- Chef's Knife - An 8- or 10-inch chef's knife is an essential tool in any kitchen. I use it for chopping, of course, but also for crushing garlic cloves on the broad side of the blade, preparing the sausage, finely chopping herbs, and more.
- Microplane Zester - Lemon zest is an important component to the final flavor of the rice. Long wand-style graters make quick work of any citrus, but don't cut so deeply that you end up with bitter citrus pith. The small holes of a box grater will also work, just take care to only grate the yellow part of the lemons.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the rice right from the skillet at the table, or transfer it to a large serving platter. Garnish it with a drizzle of olive oil, sliced lemon, and fresh oregano leaves. We generally eat this dish on its own, but you can serve it with a simple green salad.
Make This Recipe Kid Friendly
My kids are a hard "no" on the shrimp, but they will eat the rice and sausage with the vegetables. You can choose to set aside some of the saffron rice and serve it separately with the browned sausage. In fact, feel free to pull out a portion of the dish at any step to serve it in distinct mounds on a plate (no touching!) if that's the way the kids prefer it.
Separating components of a meal is one of the tips I offer in my post Keeping the Peace with Picky Eaters. Check it out and you'll find lots more ideas to bring your kids to the table for a meal everyone can enjoy.
Storage
Store your leftover Spanish saffron rice in portions in airtight containers for up to 3 days. This dish microwaves up well, so you can enjoy it for lunch or prepare it in advance for dinners later in the week.
FAQ
This weeknight-friendly dish is inspired by the flavors of paella, but not the preparation method. Shrimp, vegetables, and sausage are cooked separately from the saffron rice and you don't get a chance to develop the socarrat.
This gorgeous rice dish is definitely the main event! With vegetables, protein, and lemony rice all in one you won't need anything else. You can serve it with a simple side salad, marinated red peppers, or bread. If you want to make just the yellow rice as a side dish, add salt to the rice and broth mixture to taste.
Traditional paella uses a short grain rice, but with this recipe a medium grain white rice is best. It will provide the best texture, and hold up when added to the skillet and mixed with the other ingredients.
More Lemon Recipes
Lemon adds a bright flavor to both savory and sweet recipes. Here are some of our favorites for you to try next:
Pairing Ideas
Serve this Spanish saffron rice as the main dish for a dinner party or family meal. Here are some great options for drinks, appetizer, salad, and dessert to pair with it:
Try It and Share
I hope you try this Spanish Saffron Rice with Lemon, Shrimp, and Sausage and enjoy the recipe as much as I do. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.
This post was originally titled Cheater Paella. The post was updated in August of 2025 to change the title, streamline the preparation steps, and provide much more prep detail along with photos. Only the yield and cooking time has changed from the original September 2020 version.
Recipe
Spanish Saffron Rice with Lemon, Shrimp, and Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice (medium grain)
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth (or stock, 4 c. if cooking rice on the stove top)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz. sausage (sliced or removed from casing)
- 1 pound shrimp
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1½ tsp. dried oregano)
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 cup green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup green beans (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed if frozen)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (1 tsp. zest and 3 T juice)
- additional lemon wedges, olive oil, or fresh oregano for serving
Instructions
Pressure Cooker Saffron Rice
- Add rice, broth, saffron, and paprika to the bowl of the pressure cooker. Mix well.
- Cook with manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then quick release to relieve the remaining pressure.
- Fluff rice and keep it warm until adding it to the skillet with the vegetables and meat.
Stove Top Saffron Rice
- Add rice, broth, saffron, and paprika to a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat until you have a slow simmer.
- Simmer, covered, until the water has been absorbed (about 12-15 minutes). Remove from the heat and let stand 5-10 minutes.
- Fluff rice and keep it warm until adding it to the skillet with the vegetables and meat.
Cook the Vegetables, Shrimp, and Sausage
- Trim the green beans to bite-sized pieces, mince the garlic, dice the bell pepper, zest and juice the lemon, and chop the oregano.
- Slice the sausage or remove it from any casings. Clean the shrimp and remove the shells and tails, if desired.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the oil and heat to a shimmer.
- Add in sausage slices or the crumbled sausage and cook until the sausage is browned, about 3 minutes per side for sliced sausage.
- Add the shrimp in to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, until pink and cooked through.
- Remove sausage and shrimp to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving any oil in the skillet.
- In the same frying pan, add bell pepper, green beans, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Fresh green beans will need an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Reduce heat to medium-low or remove from heat until the rice is ready.
- When the rice is ready, bring heat back to medium-low and add peas, lemon zest, lemon juice, sausage, shrimp, and rice.
- Cook for a few more minutes, stirring rice together and mixing the components carefully so everything is distributed evenly and the rice doesn't get mushy.
- Remove to a serving dish and drizzle with additional olive oil. Garnish with several lemon wedges and extra fresh oregano, if desired.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts calculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Bridget says
This paella was AMAZING! The flavors blended beautifully; I used chicken andouille sausage which provided a tasty smokiness. I cooked the rice via dutch oven with veggie stock... on it's own it was delicious! The lemon and oil olive finish added rich & bright flavors. I made it for my folks this early spring paired with a red wine. We all had seconds and dreamed of trips to Spain!
cassieelane says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! That chicken andouille sounds so good.