Easy Spanish Recipes: 11 Classics You Can Make at Home
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From saffron-scented paella to garlicky gabmas al ajillo and chilled gazpacho, these easy Spanish recipes come from cooks who know Spain best and from my own travels, all tested to perfection so you can make them at home!
Spanish Recipes Any Home Cook Can Make
Whenever I want a meal that feels relaxed and generous, I find myself turning to Spanish recipes again and again. They strike that balance I love: unfussy food made with fresh ingredients, good olive oil, and a handful of bold flavor-makers like saffron, smoked paprika, garlic, ripe tomatoes, and peppers.
Some are especially tied to my own travels in Spain. I learned to make paella during a hands-on cooking class in Barcelona, and eating gazpacho in the Spanish heat made me appreciate that cooling tomato soup even more. Alongside those two personal favorites are dishes like Catalan fideuà, pisto, pollo al ajillo, and stuffed tomatoes, each showing a different side of Spanish cooking.
Here I’ve narrowed things down to 11 favorites you can make at home, including one-pan dinners, vegetable-forward dishes, seafood, a cold soup, a pitcher cocktail, and a couple of Spanish sweets. If you’re planning a larger spread, head over to my collection of Spanish tapas recipes for more small plates to add to the table.
Paella and other Spanish Mains
Spanish Paella with Chicken and Seafood
Paella mixta brings chicken and seafood together in one wide pan of saffron-infused rice with shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams. I learned the foundations of this paella during a hands-on cooking class in Barcelona, where our instructor, Sonia Ojeda, taught us how simple ingredients build layers of flavor. I adapted her version by adding chicken, but kept one of the most important techniques: once the broth goes into the pan, don’t stir the rice. Leaving it undisturbed helps encourage the crisp, golden layer on the bottom known as socarrat.
Gazpacho
On a truly hot day, few things are as refreshing as a cold bowl of gazpacho. This chilled soup from Andalusia blends ripe tomatoes with cucumber, green pepper, bread, sherry vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. The first time I tried gazpacho was at a small Spanish restaurant, and I was immediately hooked. Later, I had it again while traveling in Spain in the summer heat and understood exactly why it’s such a warm-weather staple. It takes only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but give it time to chill before serving so it’s properly cold and refreshing.
Catalan Fideuà
Fideuà is paella’s pasta-based cousin. Instead of rice, this Catalan seafood dish uses thin noodles with saffron, sofrito, squid, mussels, and shrimp or prawns. The flavor starts with the sofrito, a slow-cooked base of onion, pepper, garlic, and tomato. Give it enough time to cook down and concentrate before adding the remaining ingredients. That savory base, along with saffron and seafood, gives the finished fideuà much of its depth.
Tomato and Pepper Poached Cod
Bacalao a la Riojana is a rustic dish from Spain’s La Rioja region, where cod cooks gently in a smoky tomato and red pepper sauce. Traditional versions often use salt cod; this one uses fresh cod for a quicker one-pan dinner. Jarred piquillo peppers are one of the key flavor-makers. These sweet Spanish red peppers are roasted before they’re jarred, and together with smoked Spanish paprika, they give the sauce its sweet, savory, smoky character. Keep some crusty bread nearby for catching the sauce left on your plate.
Spanish Garlic Chicken (Pollo al Ajillo)
Pollo al ajillo shows how much flavor you can build from a relatively short ingredient list. Boneless chicken thighs brown in olive oil before simmering with sliced garlic, herbs, and dry white wine until tender. Al ajillo refers to a Spanish style of cooking generously with garlic, often along with wine. Here, 10 sliced cloves flavor the pan sauce, while lightly flouring the chicken helps it brown and gives the sauce a little body. The one-pan dinner takes about 35 minutes from start to finish.
Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)
Pisto is often compared to ratatouille: a Spanish vegetable stew built around tomatoes, onions, and peppers, with regional versions adding vegetables like zucchini and eggplant. The vegetables go into the pan one at a time rather than all at once. That gives each one time to soften and brown without turning the whole pan mushy. A final splash of sherry vinegar brings some acidity to the rich stewed vegetables.
Spanish Chickpea Stew (Espinacas con Garbanzos)
I know some people will say that stew isn’t summer food, but I disagree! A crumbly mixture of toasted almonds and bread spiked with garlic, vinegar, and warm notes of cumin adds loads of texture and flavor to this quick and nourishing vegetarian chickpea stew from Seville. It’s perfect for a quick dinner and is also often served at room temperature along with a spread of tapas. To do just that, add squares of Spanish tortilla, thin slices of Spanish cured ham or cheese, and assorted olives.
Stuffed Tomatoes with Tuna
When good tomatoes are everywhere, these Spanish-style stuffed tomatoes put them to very good use. The hollowed tomatoes are filled with tuna, slowly softened onion, garlic, green olives, parsley, and lemon juice, then baked until tender. Don’t discard the tomato pulp and juice when you hollow them out. Cooking it down with the onion and garlic concentrates the tomato flavor and keeps the filling from becoming watery. The tomatoes can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold, which makes them particularly handy for summer meals.
The Ultimate Spanish Drink
Red Sangria
A cold pitcher of red sangria is hard to beat when you’re feeding a crowd. Rioja, brandy, oranges, lemon, apple, cinnamon, and star anise come together in this Spanish pitcher cocktail, with simple syrup added only if you want extra sweetness. The important ingredient here is time. Refrigerate the sangria for at least 4 hours—or overnight—so the fruit can macerate and the citrus and warm spices have time to flavor the wine. Mix it before your guests arrive, then all that’s left to do is pour.
Spanish Desserts
Crema Catalana
Crema Catalana is a silky Spanish custard scented with cinnamon, orange, and lemon, then finished with a thin layer of deeply caramelized sugar. Unlike crème brûlée, the custard is thickened on the stovetop rather than baked in a water bath. The custard itself takes only about 20 minutes to prepare and cook, but it needs at least 4 hours to chill, so this is a good one to make ahead. Wait until just before serving to caramelize the sugar. That way you get the contrast that makes Crema Catalana so satisfying: cool, creamy custard beneath a crisp sugar shell.
Churros con Chocolate (Spanish Churros with Chocolate)
Spanish churros con chocolate are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, with a thick, richly spiced chocolate sauce for dipping. In Spain, churros are just as at home at breakfast as they are as a late-night treat. When frying, pay more attention to the texture than deep browning. The ridged churros should be lightly golden and crisp outside while staying tender inside. Roll them in sugar while they’re fresh, then serve them warm with the cinnamon- and star anise-scented chocolate alongside.
More Recipe Roundups
Try Our Authentic Spanish Olive Oil
Its moderately intense flavor is characterized by its fruitiness with a slight bitterness and peppery finish.
