Quick Palak Paneer for One

January 28, 2026

This single serving of palak paneer is an underrated quick side to throw together when you want something healthy and yummy without extensive prep! This recipe has no cream and is still so luscious and delicious without feeling too heavy. Lastly, I love how vibrant this looks, and it's a great way to get a bunch of iron 💚

like any good recipe, this one starts out with some finely minced onions! If you really don't want to chop onions, you can also blend them up, but it takes longer to cook them down then, and this recipe is all about making a quick fix for yourself!!
Also dice up some garlic and ginger. This is how much I used but you can adjust the quantities to your liking!
Ginger, garlic, and onions starting to sweat out in some mustard oil with cumin and asafoetida. 😅
And with some more spices added in (coriander, turmeric, red chili)! See how it almost looks like a paste even though we didn't blend the onions. That's because they're chopped really small and breaking down with the heat and salt.
Meanwhile this luscious blanched spinach purée is all ready to go!
...and so is the paneer! Let's be honest, it's the star of the show 🤩
Mixing them both in with the rest of the ingredients in the pan!
now THAT looks like something I could eat right now 🤤
Final touch — sprinkle some garam masala on top and let it simmer for a bit.
aaaand lunch is served! This is quick enough to make for a weekday lunch if you have about ~25 minutes to spare, and your tastebuds will thank you for it!

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups packed rinsed spinach (or more! trust me, you need more than you think)
  • 10-13 cubes or little rectangles of paneer (or whatever shape you like! like triangles haha)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, minced
  • (optional) 1 roma tomato, blended
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2" block of ginger, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/8 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • pinch of asafoetida
  • 1 tsp mustard oil
  • salt to taste
  • (optional) cilantro for garnish

Directions

  1. Blanch the spinach. (Dunk in boiling water for two minutes then drain and dunk immediately in an ice water bath.)
  2. Blend the spinach into a purée.
  3. In a saucepan on a medium flame, heat upthe mustard oil. Add in the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
  4. When the cumin seeds start to crackle, add in the minced ginger, followed by the onions and garlic.
  5. Add some salt and sweat out the onions.
  6. Optionally add in the tomato.*
  7. Add in the coriander, turmeric, and red chili powder.
  8. Add the paneer into the mix, cover the pan, and let it heat up for about a minute.
  9. Pour in the puréed blanched spinach and give it a good mix.
  10. Taste for salt and adjust any seasonings at this point.
  11. Sprinkle with garam masala.
  12. Cover and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the paneer is tender to your liking.
  13. Give it a final stir, and you're ready to serve!

* I didn't add any tomatoes because I like this without them! But, if the onion mixture is starting to stick to the pan or drying out, you can add in some of the blanching water you used earlier for the spinach to keep the onions moist.

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© 2025 Janaki Vivrekar