Description
This healthy palak paneer is low-calorie and low in fat! So creamy, spicy, and full of flavor. Perfect with warm naan and basmati rice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 chili pepper, minced (I used a serrano pepper and left the ribs and seeds in for medium spicy)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (I had a ginger paste)
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, drained
- 1 17 ounce bag frozen spinach
- 1 small bunch cilantro (optional, to taste)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cubed paneer
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion and chili pepper until soft. Push the onion and chiil pepper to the side of the pan and add the cumin seeds. Stir the cumin seeds around in the middle for about a minute so they can crackle and pop and little bit on their own.
- Add the garam masala, ground coriander, bay leaves, fresh ginger, and minced garlic. Saute everything together for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavors. Add the fire roasted tomatoes and saute until everything is well mixed and the flavors are blending together, about 5-10 minutes.
- Thaw the spinach in a large bowl in the microwave. Press all the excess liquid out. Add the spinach and fresh cilantro to the skillet. Saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times until you get the desired consistency (smooth, but not pureed). Return the mixture to the skillet, and stir in the yogurt and water. Add the salt and paneer; cover and simmer for 10 minutes to help the flavors continue to develop.
- Serve with basmati rice and naan.
Notes
Traditionally (and deliciously) palak paneer is made with cream instead of yogurt. In this recipe, I swapped the cream for yogurt to try to keep things on the lighter side.
The nutrition information below is for 1/6th of this recipe and does not include rice or naan.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: healthy palak paneer, paneer recipe, indian palak paneer