Saag Paneer For One

Easy Saag Paneer Recipe - a classic Indian dish made with spinach, a wonderful blend of spices, garlic, ginger, onions, and paneer cheese. A flavorful single serving vegetarian recipe.

What Is Saag Paneer?

Sometimes referred to as palak paneer, saag paneer is a popular vegetarian Indian dish featuring greens that are cooked in a perfectly spiced blend of onions, garlic, ginger, and peppers. The spinach or other leafy greens are cooked along with cubes of paneer and served with rice or naan.

Saag (leafy greens) and paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is very easy to make and filled with glorious spices and so much flavor.

Why This Recipe Works

• Paneer, the fresh cheese called for in this recipe can often be found in Indian markets and in the cheese section of some supermarkets. It couldn't be easier to make at home with whole milk and lemon juice. We've included a small batch paneer recipe that yields the perfect amount to use in this single serving saag paneer recipe.
• The spinach sauce is so flavorful. We combine spinach with onions, garlic, ginger, and chopped jalapeños along with plenty of warm spices. At the end, we add in a little bit of greek yogurt (or sour cream) to make an extra creamy spinach sauce.
• Saag paneer is a surprisingly easy meal to make. I've taken my family's recipe and scaled-down the ingredients so that this saag paneer recipe serves one.

RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

To make a "Saag Paneer For One", you will need:

• Paneer: Use either store-bought or homemade paneer. Making homemade paneer is incredibly easy. It is made by draining fresh milk curds formed from lemon juice, then weighing them down to make a compact cheese block, which will hold its shape.
• Spinach: Use fresh spinach or use frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained of any liquid.
• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this saag paneer recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains a more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It's my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use lighter olive oil instead.
• Vegetables: Chopped onions and garlic add quite a lot of flavor to this dish, definitely don't leave them out.
• Ginger: For best flavor use fresh minced ginger. If necessary, you may use ⅛ teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
• Peppers: Use either a serrano chili or jalapeño pepper.
• Butter: Use salted butter
• Yogurt: Use plain yogurt, greek yogurt, or sour cream.
• Spices: This recipe may seem like it requires a lot of spices but every one is so worth the addition. When scaling down recipes, we try to stick to the most authentic version of every dish. These spices are found in most saag paneer recipes and at the bottom of this page, we list other recipes on our website that use these same spices. Use turmeric, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin, and garam masala (store-bought or homemade garam masala).

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

How To Make Saag Paneer For One Person

1. Slice the paneer into 1-inch cubes. Mix together the turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, cinnamon, and 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil together in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the cubes of paneer. Marinate the cubes of paneer in the spices and olive oil for 20 minutes.

2. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Add the marinated paneer to the pan and spoon in any remaining marinade. Cook the paneer on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip the paneer so that the other side browns and cooks for another 2 minutes. Remove the paneer from the pan and transfer to a plate.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and jalapeños to the pan. Cook the mixture until it is the color of caramel, about 8 minutes stirring occasionally.

4. Add the butter to the pan. After the butter melts, stir in the coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook stirring for 1 minute.

5. Stir in the spinach and water. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt.
7. Add the paneer to the pan and return the pan back to the stove. Cover and cook on low for 2 minutes more.

8. Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
9. Serve with cooked rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

• Consider making your own paneer: Follow our easy paneer recipe with step-by-step instructions. The recipe will yield the perfect amount for this saag paneer recipe. Paneer will keep well if covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• Make your own garam masala: One of the spices I use in this recipe is garam masala. Garam masala is an important spice blend also used in many Indian recipes. It's sometimes hard for me to find a jar of it in my grocery and when I do, it tends to be a bit expensive. So, I'll often make my own with our homemade garam masala recipe. In addition to using garam masala in saag paneer, I also sprinkle it over chicken and fish. It's wonderful!  I would encourage you to make your own and keep it in your pantry. Our recipe yields ¼ cup of garam masala.
• Pan Fry The Paneer: Don't add the paneer to the dish until it has been pan-fried in the delicious blend of spices. Pan-frying the cheese causes the paneer to set well so it is less likely to break up when stirred into the spinach.

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this saag paneer recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving recipes:

• Spinach: Crustless Spinach Quiche, Spinach and Orzo Salad, Pork Stir Fry, Spinach Manicotti
• Onions: Rice Pilaf, Tomato Sauce, Green Curry, Risotto, Stuffed Peppers
• Ginger: Thai Shrimp Soup, Green Smoothie, Curried Carrot Soup
• Jalapeno pepper: Cucumber Salsa, Guacamole, Guacamole Salad, Carne Asada
• Yogurt: Tropical Smoothie, Beef Stroganoff, Overnight Oats, Fruit Quesadilla
• Turmeric: Turmeric Tea, Roasted Butternut Squash, Chicken and Golden Rice
• Cinnamon: Snickerdoodles, Apple Galette, Fried Apples, Mini Cherry Pie
• Cayenne pepper: Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Chicken Tagine
• Coriander: Baked Cod, Curried Carrot Soup, Mashed Potatoes
• Cumin: Beef Tacos, Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, Baba Ganoush, Shrimp Tacos
• Garam Masala: Butter Chicken

For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.

For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.

If you’ve tried this saag paneer or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!

Saag Paneer For One

Easy Saag Paneer Recipe - a classic Indian dish made with spinach, a wonderful blend of spices, garlic, ginger, onions and paneer cheese. A flavorful single serving vegetarian recipe.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

See the post above for expert tips,

FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.

Prep Time: 20 hours

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 20 hours 25 minutes

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 547kcal

Author: Joanie Zisk

Equipment

• 10-inch skillet
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 ounces paneer , Indian cheese, either store-bought or made from our recipe (see notes below), cut into 1-inch cubes.
• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2½ tablespoons olive oil , divided
• ▢ ½ cup chopped onions
• ▢ ½ tablespoon minced ginger
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper
• ▢ ½ tablespoon salted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garam masala , store-bought or use our homemade garam masala recipe
• ▢ 3 cups fresh spinach
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons greek yogurt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Slice the paneer into 1-inch cubes. Mix together the turmeric, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and 1½ tablespoons of olive oil together in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the cubes of paneer. Marinate the cubes of paneer in the spices and olive oil for 20 minutes.
• Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high heat. Add the marinated paneer to the pan and spoon in any remaining marinade. Cook the paneer on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip the paneer so that the other side browns and cooks for another 2 minutes. Remove the paneer from the pan and transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and jalapeños to the pan. Cook the mixture until it is the color of caramel, about 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add the butter to the pan. After the butter melts, stir in the coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook stirring for 1 minute.
• Stir in the spinach and water. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt.
• Add the paneer to the skillet and return the skillet back to the stove. Cover and cook on low for 2 minutes more.
• Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
• Serve with cooked rice.

Notes

How To Make Homemade Paneer (see our paneer recipe page for additional tips and FAQ's)

Ingredients

4 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

• Pour milk into a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning the bottom of the pot.
• When the milk begins to bubble, pour in the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. You should immediately notice the milk curdling. Using a spoon, gently stir the clumps together. Keep the pot on the stove for an additional 5 minutes to give the acid time to completely separate the curds (white milk solids) and whey (yellow-greenish liquid).
• Set a strainer or colander over a mixing bowl and line it with cheesecloth. Pour or scoop the curds into the strainer, letting the whey collect in the bowl beneath. Gently rinse with cool water to get rid of the lemon flavor.
• Gather the cheesecloth in your hand and gently squeeze to remove the excess whey and water.
• Open the cheesecloth and sprinkle the salt over the curds. Stir gently and taste. Add more salt if desired.
• Transfer the cheese curds which are still in the cheesecloth to a large round plate. Shape it into a disc and place another plate on top of the cheese and weigh it down with a couple of cans from your pantry or a pack of flour.
• Place the plate of cheese in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour to set.
• Unwrap and slice the paneer into cubes, and use as needed. Wrap the block of paneer in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Expert Tips

• Make your own garam masala: One of the spices I use in this recipe is garam masala. Garam masala is an important spice blend also used in many Indian recipes. It's sometimes hard for me to find a jar of it in my grocery and when I do, it tends to be a bit expensive. So, I'll often make my own with our homemade garam masala recipe. In addition to using garam masala in saag paneer, I also sprinkle it over chicken and fish. It's wonderful!  I would encourage you to make your own and keep it in your pantry. Our recipe yields ¼ cup of garam masala.
• Pan Fry The Paneer: Don't add the paneer to the dish until it has been pan-fried in the delicious blend of spices. Pan-frying the cheese causes the paneer to set well so it is less likely to break up when stirred into the spinach.

 

Nutrition Facts

Saag Paneer For One

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 547 Calories from Fat 396

% Daily Value*

Fat 44g68%

Saturated Fat 22g138%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 91mg30%

Sodium 713mg31%

Potassium 200mg6%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 23g46%

Vitamin A 178IU4%

Vitamin C 8mg10%

Calcium 610mg61%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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