Easy Butter Paneer With Spinach Recipe

By
Max Falkowitz
Max Falkowitz is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Max Falkowitz
Max Falkowitz is a food and travel writer from Queens. From 2012 to 2015 he worked at Serious Eats, first as New York editor and later as features editor. He's also the co-author of the Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook with Helen You, and the author of the trivia game Taste Test: 200 Trivia Questions for Food Nerds.
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Updated Mar. 21, 2019
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Robyn Lee

Why It Works

  • Fresh produce and a relatively moderate amount of butter and cream make this dish taste lighter and more lively than restaurant versions.
  • 漂白和排水spinach before adding it to the sauce prevents the dish from getting watered down.
  • With only minimal spices, this is an easy entry to Indian home cooking.

Paneer makhani, or butter paneer, is a staple in America's Indian restaurants for a reason: it's hard to beat chunks of fresh cheese in a creamy, buttery tomato sauce. It's also drop-dead simple to make at home, and a little spinach makes it more of a one-dish meal with some rice orpoofy flatbreadon the side.

The only spice you need for the tomato sauce is cinnamon, but dried fenugreek leaves make a wonderful addition to the sauce, adding a subtle bitter-herbal flavor to balance out all the sweet tomato and cream. But you can skip 'em if you have to; this recipe is plenty satisfying as-is.

配方adapted fromFloyd Cardoz.

配方Facts

4

(5)

Active:30 mins
Total:30 mins
Serves:4 servings

Rate & Comment

华体会应用下载

  • 4tablespoonsunsalted butter

  • 1mediumonion, sliced (about 1 cup)

  • 1 (3-inch) knobginger, chopped(about3tablespoons)

  • 1jalapenopepper, sliced

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 (28-ounce) canwhole peeled tomatoes, preferably "fire roasted"

  • 1/2teaspooncinnamon

  • 3tablespoonshoney

  • 1/4 to 1/2cupheavy cream, to taste

  • 2tablespoonscrushedfenugreekleaves, toasted (optional)

  • 1 bunch spinach blanched, drained, and chopped (or10ouncesfrozen spinach, thawed and drained)

  • 1poundpaneer, diced into small cubes

  • 1/4cupchopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then stir in onions, ginger, and jalapeno. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and just begin to take on color, 5 to 7 minutes.

  2. Add canned tomatoes, cinnamon, and honey. Press on tomatoes with a wooden spoon to break them apart and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened with only a little liquid poking through the tomatoes and onions, 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Transfer sauce to blender (or use an immersion blender) and carefully

    puree on high speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. Wipe saucepan clean and pour sauce through a fine mesh strainer back into pot. Add salt and cream to taste, and fenugreek if using.

  4. Stir spinach into sauce, then fold in paneer, taking care not to break up the cubes of cheese. Let spinach and paneer warm through for 5 minutes. Stir in half of cilantro, sprinkle with remaining cilantro, and serve.

Special equipment

Blender

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
618 Calories
45g Fat
32g Carbs
26g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 618
% Daily Value*
Total Fat45g 58%
Saturated Fat 25g 127%
Cholesterol126mg 42%
Sodium1096mg 48%
Total Carbohydrate32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein26g
Vitamin C 35mg 174%
Calcium 797mg 61%
Iron 2mg 14%
Potassium 945mg 20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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