Spanish Shrimp and Rice with Saffron Mayo

Got the dregs of a jar of marinara sauce sulking in the back of your refrigerator? Use it to make this weeknight-friendly, one-skillet shrimp dinner. Store-bought sauce, chopped roasted red peppers, and plenty of garlic form a flavorful base used for cooking rice—in a method that’s a riff on traditional paella cooking, borrowing some influence from the process for making rice pilaf or pelau as well. A few minutes before the rice is done, you’ll add seasoned shrimp on top to cook through gently (no rubbery seafood here!). The final touch is a sunny, saffron-scented mayonnaise for dolloping on top alongside a scattering of parsley for a lasting bit of freshness.

Cook’s Note: Short-grain rice—like bomba, arborio, or carnaroli—is key here; it maintains a bit of texture as it cooks and doesn’t break or turn to mush in the pan like jasmine might.