Saag paneer is an Indian dish of leafy greens and fried cheese simmered in savory spices. This easy, keto, vegetarian dish is ready in 30 minutes.
Total carbs 7g, net carbs 4g
What is saag paneer?
Quick, nutritious and satisfying saag paneer is creamed spinach with a big personality. It's a savory vegetarian dish made by simmering spices with a green leafy vegetable and chunks of fresh cheese. Saag can also be spelled sag or saga.
Ingredients you’ll need
Leafy greens (Saag)
"Saag" is Hindi for leafy greens. I’ve eaten saag made with stinging nettles (highly recommended) prepared by my forager friend, Paul Tappenden. The Indian restaurant that I go to tends to serve spinach or fenugreek saag (according to their buffet label). You can make it with any greens, really, such as traditional mustard greens, spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, stinging nettles, turnip tops, dandelion greens and amaranth greens.
This recipe calls for spinach, which requires very little cooking. You only need to cook it until it wilts. If fresh spinach is not available, you may use frozen spinach.
If you use heartier greens such as mustard greens, collard greens and turnip tops, then let them simmer for 20 minutes or longer.
Fresh cheese (Paneer)
Paneer is an Indian-style fresh cheese. It is an unripened, soft cheese made by adding acid, such as lemon juice, to milk to form curds. Then the curds (milk solids) are strained from the whey (milk liquids) and pressed together to make cheese.
Paneer doesn't melt and ooze the way mozzarella does. It is firm, similar in texture to firm tofu.
If you can't find paneer, then Greek halloumi cheese is the closest substitute. Try farmer's cheese or fresh mozzarella if there are no other options.
Ghee
Ghee is clarified butter. It is butter that has been simmered to remove water and strained of milk solids. If you don't have ghee, you can use a combination of vegetable oil and butter to get a similar flavor.
Spices
The spices used in this recipe are garlic, ginger, green chili pepper, garam masala, and turmeric.
Equipment you’ll need
A large deep skillet.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this with a third of a piece of naan, which is 15g of carbs. Or you can serve it with a third of a cup of rice, which is 15g of carbs. Watch your portions.
Make ahead
You can make this dish ahead of time and store it in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze saag paneer. This dish freezes well for up to a month. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then gently reheat.
Frequently asked questions
Saag Paneer can be made with any type of leafy greens such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or chard. I've even made it with stinging nettles. I highly recommend it. Palak Paneer is strictly made with spinach.
Saag paneer
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
Saag paneer is an Indian dish of leafy greens and fried cheese simmered in savory spices. It's creamed spinach with a big personality. This easy, keto, vegetarian dish is ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- 16 ounces Indian paneer cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes, blot dry with paper towel
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 green chili pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound fresh spinach, (about 10-12 cups of leaves), washed and chopped
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat ghee over medium-high heat and sauté paneer cheese for 1 minute on each side until lightly browned all over. Transfer cheese to a plate.
- Add garlic, ginger, and chili pepper and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add garam masala, turmeric and salt. Stir for 1-2 minutes until spices get toasty and aromatic.
- Fold spinach into spices until spinach wilts.
- Fold in cream.
- Return cheese to pan and fold into spinach mixture.
- Simmer over low heat for 3 minutes.
Notes
If you can't find paneer, then Greek halloumi cheese is the closest substitute.
If you use heartier greens such as mustard greens, collard greens and turnip tops, then let them simmer for 20 minutes or longer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Indian
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