Easy Paella Recipe with Beef and Shrimp 🍤

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Our Easy Paella Recipe makes the best shrimp and steak dinner! Complete with flavorful rice and Spanish seasonings, this simple paella recipe is a perfect family meal. You will be asked to make it again and again.

And with just 30 minutes cook time and only one pot to clean, we are sure you will want to!

Jump to:

• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🧂 Variations
• 🔪 Instructions
• What is paella?
• What rice is used for paella?
• Do you need a paella pan to make paella?
• Is paella gluten-free?
• 👨‍👩‍👦 Serving Size
• 🥫 Storing
• 🔥 How to Reheat Paella
• 🥗 What to Serve with Paella
• 📖 Easy Rice Recipes and More
• Easy Paella Recipe with Beef and Shrimp
• Reviews

I tried the paella and it was wonderful! will be one of my goto meals!

Diane on Pinterest

🍽 Equipment

• 12-inch skillet with a lid
• Spatula or wooden spoon for stirring
• A bowl or plate
• Knife to chop veggies

True to the name paella, which refers to the traditional cooking pan used to make the dish, this easy paella recipe is made in just one pan! Even the rice cooks in the same skillet as the rest of the ingredients.

All you will need, other than a pan with a lid, is a bowl or plate to set aside the beef after cooking it, and a knife to cut the vegetables. You will also need a spatula or wooden spoon to stir the dish with.

Making a Spanish beef and shrimp paella really is easy! Trust me, you will want to make this dish all of the time. My family is obsessed with it!

🥘 Ingredients

The flavors in this steak and shrimp paella recipe are out of this world. It is one of my favorite surf and turf ideas! Here are the ingredients you will need to make a beef and shrimp paella:

• Sirloin steak, thinly sliced
• Olive oil, divided
• Chorizo, smoked and finely diced
• Onion, chopped
• Medium red bell pepper, chopped
• Garlic cloves, minced, or ready-minced garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• Dried oregano
• Arborio rice (short grain rice)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dried bay leaf
• Lemon, zested
• Beef broth
• White wine or water
• Diced tomatoes - do not drain!
• Shrimp, raw, de-veined, tail-on
• Peas, frozen
• Optional: parsley, for garnish

One of the best things about this easy paella recipe is that you can substitute the beef and rice according to what you like the most. You can even use leftover beef for this recipe!

I have had this dish using leftover grilled beef short ribs and can confirm, it is so delicious!

🧂 Variations

• Use a different type of rice. I use Arborio rice, which is a short grain rice, for this recipe. Arborio rice makes the sauce creamy and helps bind everything together. Plus, it cooks in just 20 minutes. However, you can use any type of rice you like. Check out my Portuguese Rice Recipe or Instant Pot White Rice for ideas.
• Use leftover beef or a different steak cut. I like thinly-sliced sirloin, but you can use any kind of beef you like as long as it cooks at the same rate. For an even more budget-friendly dish, you can even make ground beef paella! Recipes with ground beef and shrimp are delicious.
• Add other seafood. If you like, you can add seafood like scallops to give this delicious shrimp and beef paella even more flavor. You could even try adding grilled crab meat.

🔪 Instructions

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.
2. Quickly sear thinly-sliced sirloin steak on both sides in the skillet, then remove to a bowl or plate keep warm. (The easiest way to do this is to cover with foil.)
   
3. Add remaining olive oil to the pan, along with chopped onion, chopped red bell pepper, and diced chorizo. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the veggies soften.
   
4. Stir in minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano. Cook for another minute or so.
5. Add Arborio short grain rice to the skillet. Stir to coat with the oil and cook for about 3 minutes.
   
6. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, dried bay leaf, lemon zest, beef broth, white wine (or water), and canned diced tomatoes (do not drain). Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Don't touch it while it's simmering!
7. When just 6 minutes are remaining, lift the lid and stir in shrimp and peas. Replace the cover and cook until the shrimp is opaque and pink, and the rice and peas are tender.
   
8. Remove the cover and stir in the beef. Garnish with parsley, serve, and enjoy!

For full ingredient measurements and recipe tips, keep scrolling to the recipe card below!

What is paella?

Paella is a traditional Spanish rice recipe from Valencia. It is a well-known and very popular dish, and it's no question why! This beef and shrimp rice recipe is so delicious, just smelling it cook will make your mouth water.

Traditionally, you would cook this dish in a paella pan, which is a shallow frying pan sometimes called a paellera. Spain has a variety of rice grown just for making paella recipes, which goes to show you how much of a big deal it is!

There are a lot of ways to make and enjoy this Spanish rice recipe, and the ingredients you can use for it are almost endless.

What rice is used for paella?

Short grain rice is the best choice. We use Arborio short grain rice, but you can try other varieties, too.

Bomba rice, which is a rice grown specifically for making paella, is a perfect choice if you're able to find it!

Do you need a paella pan to make paella?

Not at all! Having a paella pan is nice, but you can use a regular 12" skillet to make this recipe.

If you're making a smaller portion, you can adjust the size of the pan based on your needs.

We don't recommend using your cast-iron skillet for this recipe. Use a non-stick skillet!

Is paella gluten-free?

If you're making this easy paella recipe for a gluten-free meal plan, double-check the following ingredients for gluten:

• Worcestershire sauce (generally not gluten-free, so check this one!)
• White wine (generally gluten-free, but it's best to check because of aging processes)
• Beef broth
• Chorizo

👨‍👩‍👦 Serving Size

Our easy paella recipe makes enough for about 8 to 10 people. It's perfect for a family dinner with leftovers or a gathering. Everyone at a party would love this steak and shrimp dinner!

You can easily size the recipe up or down by halving or doubling the ingredients. Paella stores well and the leftovers are just as delicious as it is fresh out of the pan.

🥫 Storing

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Shrimp paella is best eaten within 2 days.

If you leave out the seafood and make a beef and chorizo paella only, or if you use an ingredient like chicken or grilled pork instead, it will keep for 3-5 days.

🔥 How to Reheat Paella

Reheat paella on your stove-top, in the oven, or in the microwave.

• Add leftovers to a pan on the stove prepared with a little bit of olive oil. Heat over medium heat and stir until all of it is warmed and ready to eat.
• Microwave it in a covered, microwave-safe dish for a couple of minutes. When I use the microwave, I like to microwave a minute and a half at the time so I can stir it around and heat everything evenly.
• To heat in the oven, add to an oven-safe dish with a bit of water at 350°F. Cover and heat for 20-30 minutes until the paella warms through.

🥗 What to Serve with Paella

One of my favorite things about this easy paella recipe is that it pairs well with so many dishes. You can really have fun with variety when picking side dishes!

• Elotes Mexicanos: This grilled corn recipe is perfect for serving with paella. It is a Mexican corn recipe that tastes simply incredible!
• Tender Grilled Pork Butt Recipe: Add pork to your paella for even more variety. The flavor of this tender grilled pork butt makes it perfect for pork fried rice or paella.
• Blistered Shishito Peppers: Blistered Japanese grilled peppers are perfect for serving with paella. You can use a similar method for poblano, which would also be a delicious choice.
• Key Lime Pie Squares: A perfect dessert for serving after this seafood paella recipe. Key lime pie squares are sweet, tangy, and so delicious!
• Moscato Sangria: The best drink to serve with Spanish beef paella! Sangria is a classic, and this Moscato Sangria tastes amazing and pairs perfectly with steak and shrimp.

Try serving with our Grilled Corn Recipe, too. Just like our Elotes Mexicanos, this corn is delicious on the grill.

Unlike our elotes, it cooks in a foil pack. Both are easy and perfect choices for what to serve with paella!

📖 Easy Rice Recipes and More

If you love recipes with shrimp, you are going to love our other surf and turf ideas as well as our rice recipes and Spanish cuisine. Especially our Alcachofas al Ajillo! They're some of our best Sunday Dinner Ideas.

Try our steak and seafood recipes:

• Air Fryer Surf and Turf (Steak and Lobster)
• Steamed Crab Legs (How to Boil Crab)
• Easy Steak Foil Packets
• Juicy Garlic Butter Steak Bites
• Grilled Picanha Steak (Sirloin Cap)\

See my guide on How to Devein and Peel Shrimp!

Try our easy rice recipes:

• 5-Ingredient Chicken Stir-Fry
• How to Cook Perfect Rice (Portuguese Rice)
• Perfect Instant Pot White Rice Recipe
• Easy Pork Fried Rice Recipe
• Pulled Pork Rice Teriyaki Bowl
• Easy Shrimp Mexican Rice Bowl Recipe

And if you love chorizo as much as I do, you'll love our Portuguese recipes. Give my potato and chorizo bites a try!

Did you try this simple paella recipe? I would love to know what you think! Leave a comment and a rating below. We love to hear from you!

Do you have a paella pan? What are your favorite ingredients to add?