Saag Paneer- Easiest Recipe

This is perhaps the easiest recipe of Saag Paneer that is out there! Ready in under 30 minutes and packed with yumminess and nutrition, this version of the classic recipe is the perfect for a working day lunch or a weeknight dinner menu. Try it. You will love it!

This recipe is ✷Gluten Free ✷Soy Free ✷Nut Free ✷Grain Free ✷Suitable for children 18 months onwards

Calories:  315 approximately (Please see the detailed break up of nutritive values after the recipe card).

Serving Suggestion: Serve this incredibly yummy dish as a side with some naan or roti or flatbread of your choice. This dish tastes great some jeera rice and raitha or in a wrap.

This time saver recipe versus traditional recipe

This classic recipe from Punjab traditionally involves quite a few steps. It involves blanching and pureeing spinach, making a paste of onions, chopping tomatoes and so on. There are days when I make this recipe in that elaborate way (I promise to include that version of the recipe in this blog soon!). However, on most days when I have little time to put together a meal. this version of the classic comes to my rescue!

These are what make this recipe such a time saver:

• Instead of chopping and grinding onions, I add thinly sliced onions to this dish. Bear in mind that if any recipes calls for making a paste of onions and then frying it, that will add quite a few minutes to the recipe! This is because the onion paste must be fried well for the raw smell of the onions to go away.
• The traditional recipe would ask for adding chopped tomatoes. When you add chopped tomatoes, it is important to cook them till they get mushy and saucy. This, of course, will take time! Using tomatoes paste cut this time and does not take away even a bit from the end result!
• Normally in Saag Paneer recipe, the Saag (greens) used are either mustard or collard greens/kale along with spinach. While they are incredibly nutritious and add a wonderful dimension to the recipe, these greens do take time to cook! They have to be blanched, pureed and simmered for best results. In this recipe, I have used spinach only and since I have used on the leaves, the cooking time is cut by a lot!
• If you have a little bit more time in hand, try making this smooth and creamy Paneer Menthi Chaman.

Want to make a vegan version of this recipe?

Traditionally this recipe is made with paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese). However, you can make this vegan by replacing paneer with tofu. For best texture use firm tofu. The rest of the process is the same as that for paneer in this recipe.

Step by Step method of making Saag Paneer

1. Cut paneer into rectangles - about 2 inches by ½ inch. Rinse them in warm water. Heat oil in a pan and arrange the paneer pieces in the pan in such a way that all the pieces touch the bottom of the pan. What we need to achieve is to sear and brown them so that they are still soft, but can hold their shape when added to the spinach.

2. When they are brown on all sides (it is ok if some sides are more brown than the others) remove them from the pan and keep them aside.

3. To the same pan, add thinly sliced onions. Fry them on medium heat till they start turning golden brown.

4. In the meantime, prepare the spinach. For this recipe I use baby spinach leaves as they cook very fast. Wash the spinach leaves and then chop them. When the onions start turning brown, add ginger garlic paste, tomato paste, turmeric, ground red chilli and garam masala powder. Add the spinach, mix and cook till it shrinks and has cooked down. The spinach will release some of its water which is what is needed.

5. Now add in the fried paneer pieces, salt and mix well. Turn the heat down and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes so that the paneer soaks up some of the juices and flavours.

6. Remove from pan and serve.

Recipe card for how to make easiest saag paneer

Approximate Nutritive Values for Saag Paneer

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