One-Pan Prawn Rice with Zucchini and Olives

Steps

1. Finely chop the red onion and the chilli, and mince all four garlic cloves. Keep half the garlic aside for the prawns. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan that has a lid, add the onion, chilli and half the garlic, and season with salt and black pepper. Sauté for 3–4 minutes until the onion softens and starts to colour.

   4 min

2. Stir in the tomato paste and the paprika and fry for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time so the paste does not catch.

   2 min

3. Chop the zucchini into bite-sized pieces. Add it with the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes.

   2 min

4. Add the olives and the raw rice and stir to coat. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

   20 min

5. While the rice finishes, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the reserved garlic and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the prawns, season with salt and black pepper, and cook for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 1 minute more. Lift them out and set aside.

   5 min

6. Take the lid off the rice, add the baby spinach and stir until it wilts. Cover again, turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes.

   5 min

7. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden and finely slice the chives. Stir the prawns back into the rice to warm through, then squeeze over the lemon juice, grate in the zest, and scatter the chives and pine nuts on top.

   3 min

Serving suggestion

Serve straight from the pan while hot, with an extra wedge of lemon.

Storage

Keeps 2 days in the fridge in a closed container. Reheat gently with a splash of water, as the rice stiffens when cold.

Notes

For a vegetarian version leave the prawns out and stir in cooked green lentils or crumbled feta instead. Leave out the pine nuts to make it nut-free.