20 minutes Palak paneer- No onion garlic recipe

This one has to be nominated for the quickest Palak paneer ever! Hard to believe but it does get ready in 20 minutes straight. That is, of course, if you follow the step by step process I have mentioned below and do things simultaneously.

Some other recipes which get ready under 15 minutes– Avocado Pesto sandwich | Moong dal Cheela | Instant spinach rava idli | 10 minutes Coconut Laddoo | Avocado basil hummus 

Palak paneer has always been my favourite dish if I want to have some “paneer-y” meal. Its one of those things you know. You are tired after a day’s work and absolutely do not want to sulk in the kitchen for more than 30 minutes. Or you have finished up every single vegetable in your fridge and Paneer is the only “veggie” you have left in there. Or simple because you love paneer! And you want to make something healthier with it rather than putting up work into a complex Paneer Tikka Masala curry or even the simple Tawa Paneer. You know the feeling, right!  

I usually make paalak paneer with some full fat milk and simmer it for a while. Sometimes I add cream into it and turn it into Palak “malai” paneer which is an absolutely stunning dish. But this 20 minutes easy version of Palak paneer is my go to recipe when I am just want some paneer with a no chop vegetable like spinach.

A little handy tip– I usually keep spinach leaves chopped in a zip bag since I use a handful almost everyday in something for my meal. Just take some out of the bag, wash them and you are good to go. You could use frozen spinach as well to save more time. 

I do sound like a big time Paneer fan, don’t i? Here are a few more paneer recipes if you are like me- 

Chana dal Paneer | Paneer Chettinad | Paneer pudina saag | Matar paneer | Cashew chili paneer | Paneer Makhani | Kadhai Paneer 

I have given a quick process flow below so you could match it up with the detailed recipe below and prepare this Palak paneer as quickly as I do. Lets start, shall we?

Preparation: Chop everything roughly in chunks. no need to worry about the shape and size here.

Step 1 & 2 combined: Wilt the spinach + prepare the tempering (6-7 minutes)

Step 3 & 4 combined: Allow them to cool down a bit + chop paneer cubes (3-4 minutes)

Step 5 & 6 combined: Blend the spinach and masala together + heat some milk in microwave (2-3 minutes)

Step 7: combine everything together and simmer- (3 minutes)

That’s it! Your palak paneer is ready in 20 minutes and the taste is as awesome as always. Do check out some more easy and healthy Spinach recipes here. 

If you are using frozen spinach-> take it out in a glass bowl and cover with a lid. Place this glass bowl into a larger pot full of hot water and cover with a lid. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Then strain the excess water out and use as required in the recipe. You don’t need to wilt the spinach in this case.

If using packaged paneer-> Keep it in hot water for at least 10-15 minutes before you start working on the recipe.

This is a no onion garlic  + Gluten free recipe and is perfect as a quick side dish

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20 minutes Palak paneer- No onion garlic recipe

Healthy palak paneer recipe that gets ready in just 20 minutes. Isnt it perfect for those lazy nights?

Course curry, Main Course

Cuisine North Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Author Nupur @ The Veggie Indian

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups full of spinach leaves about 200-250 gms
• About 200 gms of paneer
• 2-3 tbsp of milk
• 1-2 green chilies
• 2 large tomatoes
• piece A small of ginger
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil I used Olive oil

Instructions

1. Chop everything roughly. No need to worry about the sizes and shapes since we are going to blend everything to a paste anyway.
3. Step 1: Heat oil in pan. Ad ginger and green chilies and fry for half a minute. Add tomatoes and all the spices. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring in between.
5. Step 2: Wilt spinach in a microwave on full power for 5 minutes OR boil in a cup of water in a pot at medium gas.
8. Step 3: Allow both the tomato paste and wilted spinach to cool down a bit, for about 3-4 minutes. You can transfer them both to the blender jar or a wide plate so the steam evaporates quicker.
10. Step 4: Dice the paneer into cubes or rectangles. Keep aside in a bowl full of hot water, this helps in taking the extra starch off.
13. Step 5: Blend the paste together in a few pulses. Since the mixture might still be hot, take care not to spill it over. And keep opening the jar lid a few times in between to let the extra steam off.
15. Step 6: Microwave the milk on full power for 1 minute.
18. Step 7: Put the spinach masala paste + warm milk + paneer cubes back into the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir a few times in between. Your quick palak paneer is ready!

Recipe Notes

The above timings are only for reference. The actual time might differ depending on your gas settings, method of preparation, speed and other things.

Below are my most popular Paneer recipes-> 

Paneer bhurji

Paneer tikka masala

Paneer Makhani- No onion garlic recipe 

Paneer kali mirch

Methi matar malai paneer 

Restaurant style matar paneer