Take home a taste of Spain with these authentic Spanish recipes. From paella to sangria, these traditional dishes will make the food extraordinary!
Colourful, tasty and festive: that’s what Spanish cuisine is all about.
Often with rice, Spanish dishes are super filling and satisfying. Portions are always for sharing, which makes them ideal for meetings.
If you have family and friends for a rustic Spanish party, you’ve come to the right place
.
These 24 dishes will bring the bright flavors of Spain into your home. Don’t worry, they’re so easy to make!
Spanish cooking techniques are relatively simple. What makes the dishes very special are the high-quality ingredients.
So if you plan on trying any of these recipes, be sure to get premium potatoes
, rice, eggs, and tomatoes!
From beloved classics to new innovations, these Spanish dishes will delight all your senses. Let’s get started! 1.Spanish
rice
Why serve boring steamed white rice when you can easily transform it into party-worthy
Spanish rice
?
Fluffy white rice is infused with tomato sauce, paprika, chili and other spices and seasonings. Spanish rice
is full of flavor, and believe me
, it’s impossible to resist.
It tastes great on its own, but eats even better with chicken, salmon, and other tapas.
Best of all, it’s super easy to make! In fact, all you need is to throw all the ingredients into a pot and wait.
It’s an effortless recipe that can feed a crowd
.
2. Spanish Omelette The Spanish omelette is a hearty omelette
filled with potatoes. It is a simple combination that surely hits the nail on the head.
I mean, how can you go wrong with fluffy scrambled eggs filled with rich, tender potato chips? It’s
clear proof that you don’t need to go crazy with the ingredients to make an awesome dish
.
You can eat Spanish omelette with rice or use it as a sandwich filling.
It doesn’t matter if you have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It will be amazing.
3.Paella We can’t have a list of Spanish dishes without mentioning paella
, right?
It’s perhaps the most popular Spanish dish out there! And for good reason.
It is a soft and tasty rice that is loaded with shrimp and lobster. This paella is pure heaven.
How can it not be? It is infused with saffron, which is the most expensive food in the world!
You’ve probably seen paella recipes in the past and didn’t even bother to mark them as favorites because of how complicated they are
.
Don’t worry, because this is a simplified version of the classic. You can do this!
4.Red indentation
We all know that a feast is not complete without wine! Sweet and fruity with a bit of strength, red sangria is the best tasting alcohol in my book.
While bloodletting
is often associated with Spain, it originated in France and England
.
But it has a similar, but much simpler, version that locals like to drink, called tinto de verano
.
Regardless of its origins, red sangria is still 100% delicious and refreshing. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
All you need is to mix red wine, orange juice and fruit slices, and you’re good to go!
5. Patatas bravas Patatas bravas, also called patatas a la brava, are a simple dish made with fried potato cubes. The potatoes are flavored with a spicy sauce, giving it a soft touch. In this recipe, however, you will bake the potatoes instead of frying them. But don’t worry, they’ll still be incredibly crunchy! The trick is to boil them in baking soda water! To flavor the potatoes
,
you’ll
use a smoked
brava sauce, which is a tomato sauce flavored with smoked Spanish paprika
.
However, it does not end there. To top it off it is a rich and creamy garlic aioli.
6.Padrón peppers Padrón peppers
are a simple appetizer that will surely leave you speechless
.
There is nothing luxurious about this classic tapas. In fact, it is just a basic fried pepper.
But don’t be fooled by its simplicity. These peppers are absolutely amazing.
Padrón peppers
are small green peppers grown in Padrón, Spain.
But over the years, peppers have been cultivated and spread to other regions of Spain and other countries.
Pimientos de Padrón is mostly soft, but you’ll get a super hot one once in a while! It’s a game of chance, but it’s worth it.
7.Spanish Chickpea
Stew Chickpea with spinach is a rich and tasty tomato-based stew loaded with chickpeas and spinach. Infused with cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, this stew contains some heat. If you are health conscious, this stew
is for you.
Chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes are packed with vitamins and nutrients!
So not only is it delicious, but it’s also good for you
.
Accompany this stew with a bowl of brown rice, and you will have a healthy and filling meal
.
8. Calamares a la Romana Calamares
a la Romana, or battered and fried squid, is an incredibly addictive snack popular in Spain and around the world
.
It is crispy on the outside and tender and chewy on the inside. I can eat this all day.
It is also very easy to make. All you need is a regular dough based on flour, squid and a ton of frying oil!
Simply cover the squid in dough and cold until golden brown.
9. Salmorejo (cold tomato soup) Salmorejo
is a popular Spanish soup made with tomato. Like gazpacho, it’s served cold, making it a wonderfully refreshing dish for summer.
Salmorejo is made from ripe tomatoes, sherry vinegar, olive oil and bread. Thanks to bread, it is much thicker than gazpacho.
Topped with Spanish cured ham, a hard-boiled egg and a piece of bread, it’s a complete meal on its own.
10.Pisto Pisto
is the Spanish counterpart of ratatouille. It is a very simple recipe for stewed vegetables, and the key to perfecting it is in the ingredients.
When rattling, make sure you get the highest quality products you can find!
This recipe requires cooking each vegetable separately. Sure, it requires more work, but don’t worry, you’ll be rewarded.
11. Watermelon gazpacho Watermelon gazpacho is an incredibly refreshing soup that will refresh you on a hot summer day. Honestly, when I heard about watermelon gazpacho
,
I automatically assumed it was sweet.
To my surprise, it’s tasty! But watermelon offers a mild sweetness, which balances the flavor very well.
This recipe creates a TON of gazpacho, which is great because it tastes better over time. Simply store leftovers in the fridge and serve whenever.
12. Lentil soup Lentil soup
is another Spanish classic. Soup is most commonly eaten for lunch, as it is too heavy for dinner.
There are many ways to prepare lentil soup. In fact, every region, city and home in Spain has its own version!
This recipe combines lentils, pork loin, Spanish chorizo, carrots, potatoes, celery and garlic. It’s rich, tasty and super filling!
13.Spanish garlic mushrooms Al Ajillo or Spanish garlic
mushrooms
is
a popular tapas dish and is usually served at parties. The combination of mushrooms and garlic
is already absolutely amazing. But what takes this snack to the next level is dry sherry.
Sweet sherry complements the earthy flavor of mushrooms, giving it such a ridiculously delicious treat
.
14. Octopus in tomato sauce
This recipe may not be a classic Spanish dish, but it sure has those rich Spanish flavors that we love so much. It is sweet, salty and spectacular.
The tender octopus is cooked in garlic, tomatoes, celery and onion. It also has piquillo peppers and sweet paprika for a little kick.
Imagine the aroma of garlic, tomatoes and all those spices that are cooked in the kitchen
!
Silky Yukon golden potatoes are also added to make the dish even more filling. It’s so filling, it’s a complete meal on its own!
15.Dip of tomato and butter beans Looking for
A new sauce to complete your favorite chips? This tomato and butter bean sauce is all you’ll need.
This is what happens in this fantastic sauce: large white beans, tomato paste, garlic, olive oil, shallots and paprika.
If you can’t imagine what that tastes like, I’ll give you a hint: it’s wonderful.
It is sweet, salty, rich and buttery. My god. This dip is the epitome of dives!
Whether it’s pita chips, crusty bread, regular chips, crackers, or even vegetable sticks, it doesn’t matter
.
Anything you dip into this sauce will taste mind-blowingly delicious
.
16. Stuffed dates
wrapped in bacon The
next dish only requires three ingredients and some skewers
.
The sweet and juicy dates and creamy goat cheese are wrapped in bacon and baked to perfection
.
How can anyone say no to that?!
The contrast of taste and texture between sweet chewy dates, creamy cheese and crispy smoked bacon is pure perfection.
There is no other way to describe it!
One bite creates a beautiful harmony in your mouth. It’s so good that you need to triple the recipe, even if you’re only serving two.
17. Pan Con Tomate Pan con Tomate
is toast loaded with garlic and tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil. It is a tasty and nutritious dish that is normally eaten during breakfast.
As you may have noticed, Spaniards are not heavy at breakfast. A typical breakfast is usually just a combination of toast and coffee (or tea or juice).
That said, tomato bread is a fantastic breakfast not only for the taste (you can’t go wrong with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil!) but for health reasons.
18.Spanish pork skewers
Moorish skewers
are tender pigs flavored with lemon, garlic, cumin, sweet paprika, coriander seeds, oregano, salt, turmeric, cayenne and olive oil
.
The pieces of pork are strung on a stick and then grilled to charred perfection
.
As if that wasn’t dolowing enough, the skewers are dipped in Mojo Picon, a spicy, spicy sauce made with red chili peppers. vinegar and olive oil.
19.Rice with chicken
Arroz con pollo, or arroz con pollo, is
a hearty and tasty dish that you can prepare at any time
.
However, this is not just the typical dish of steamed rice and fried chicken. Far from it!
The rice is loaded with colorful vegetables and tender, juicy chicken thighs. Yum!
The rice turns yellow, just like the classic paella, thanks to the saffron.
I don’t know if psychology has anything to do with it, but its vibrant tone makes it even more appetizing.
It is also very easy to make. It is put together in a single pot and produces a huge batch!
20.Spanish spiced almonds I think we can all agree that roasted almonds taste amazing. But this recipe takes the already amazing nut to a new level of delight with a simple ingredient. Fried almonds
is another popular snack in Spain, and I completely understand why
.
The almonds are seasoned with salt and Spanish smoked paprika, which gives them an amazing flavor
.
Serve this to your friends with a glass of cold beer, and it’s happy hour
.
21.Mixed salad The mixed salad
is basically a mixed salad. But there is nothing basic about this salad at all.
Combining eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow peppers, red onions, carrots, baby corn, canned tuna, white asparagus, artichokes and olives, it has everything you could ask for in a salad
!
Imagine the vibrant colors, textures and flavors! It’s evidence that not all healthy dishes are boring.
22. Marinated carrots While
Spanish dishes are mostly made with rice and meat, you’ll be surprised to learn that the kitchen also has some vegetarian dishes to offer
. An example: these marinated carrots.
Calling all vegetarians: this excellent side dish is for you!
Alinated carrots, or marinated carrots, is an easy recipe that involves marinating carrots in spices and garlic.
The contrast between sweet potatoes, spicy garlic and earthy spices makes this simple dish full of flavor
.
23.Spiced Spanish hot chocolate When it comes to Spanish drinks, nothing beats the fame of hot chocolate .
Incredibly thick, sweet and chocolatey, it’s the perfect drink to propel you up in the morning!
Here’s a secret: what gives super thick Spanish hot chocolate isn’t the cream or milk. It’s
cornstarch!
If you think about it, cornstarch is commonly used to thicken sauces
.
24. Churros
Last but not least, it is a sweet and crunchy that combines perfectly with hot chocolate
.
Churros are a beloved favorite not only in Spain but around the world
.
I can’t get enough of churros. They are crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside.
The cinnamon sugar layer adds a wonderful sweetness to the delight
.
Dip it in thick hot chocolate or dulce de leche and you have the most irresistible snack.
