Easy slow cooker saag aloo
I’ve been totally obsessed with spinach lately (much to the annoyance of my fiancé, who isn’t a fan – I know, I’m the worst girlfriend ever). So much so that I think I’m going to have to ban myself from buying any more for the next couple of weeks. It’s just so versatile – eat it in burgers, stick it in soup, use it to make pesto… this time I made saag aloo, an Indian spinach and potato curry.
Saag aloo isn’t tricky to make at the best of times, but I decided to make it even more super simple (read: for lazy people) by using my slow cooker. The best bit is that, like most of my other slow cooker recipes, it requires no pre-cooking whatsoever. I really don’t see the point of spending ten minutes at the hob before you even get to the slow cooker – by the time you’ve dirtied some pans and spoons, you may as well have cooked the whole meal on your stovetop. No, this recipe is for those days where you literally want to dump everything in the pot and return to your dent in the sofa.
I’m sure even the busiest of us have five minutes to spare to peel a few potatoes.
By the way, the usual disclaimer: I have no idea how authentically Indian this recipe is. Chances are, not very. But, it does the job – it’s easy to make, it’s healthy, and it tastes great – so I don’t really think I mind either way.
Since this dish lacks a protein element, it’s often served as a side dish. We had ours alongside a curry and some naan bread – it was a bit of a feast but it was awesome. If you’d rather have it on its own, you could always stir in some tinned chickpeas for the last hour or so of cooking time.
Oh, by the way, it’s vegan too! Told you I’d changed!
- 650g potatoes
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 50ml water
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
- Black pepper
- 250g fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks measuring about an inch. Add them to the slow cooker (mine’s a 3.5 litre one) along with the sliced onion, water, crumbled stock cube, oil, spices, and plenty of black pepper. Top with a couple of big handfuls of fresh spinach – however much you can easily fit in your slow cooker. I couldn’t fit all of the spinach in, so I came back and added the rest about an hour into the cooking time, once it had wilted down and created some space.
- Cook on medium (or high if you don’t have a medium setting) for around 3 hours, until the potato is soft – stir every hour or so to scrape down the sides. The exact cooking time will depend on exactly how big you cut your potato chunks.
My boyfriend and I made this tonight and absolutely loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay thanks Maggie! :)
We love Indian food but I am always looking for easy ways to prepare and cook it.
This recipe was brilliant…….so easy to prepare and cook and the taste was outstanding.
We will be using it again and passing it on.
Thanks Lynne! :)
i love all things spinach, especially saag aloo! mmm!
Made this last night and really loved it. It was just as easy as you promised. However, I am a really lazy cook, so I used baby spinach to avoid having to chop the spinach. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay thanks Luisa! I didn’t do much chopping of the spinach really, just a little bit – I’m lazy too ;)
These look delicious! Thank you for linking up at Tasty Tuesdays! Your post has been pinned to my Recipes from Tasty Tuesday board. I can’t wait to see what you link up next week!
Have a terrific week!
Cathy
APeekIntoMyParadise.com
#TastyTuesdays
**adds to meal plan** I’ve been fancying some palak paneer, but this will make a great lunch (or dinner) any day. I’ll save making paneer for the weekend.
I loooove paneer! Saag paneer is my go-to dish when we get an Indian take away :) but I’m trying not to include cheese in EVERYTHING I post these days haha ;)
Hi there, just wondering what if for those who doesnt own a slow cooker ( like me :P) any alterntaive ways of slow cooking it? possible to do it in the oven ?
Actually I’d just do it on the hob :) Boil the potatoes and then drain them, and add them to a frying pan with the spices and spinach. Then just cook until the spinach has all wilted down. It’ll take a tiny bit more effort than doing it in the slow cooker but should still be pretty easy and taste great :)
I pinned this recipe, also put it in a file of TBC notations. It has not been repinned over 800 times. After it hit a few hundred, I finally cooked it and we were hooked. But I have reverted to top of the stove, since there really is no need for me to use a slow cooker. Great recipe.
Ooh thanks Jay! Really pleased that you liked it as much as I did! :)
Forgive my type surely it was NOW, not NOT” This recipe continues to rock & roll..
When I read the title I thought , ‘surely that delicate spinach will over cook’. And then I saw your pic. What a clever idea x
My Husband cooks this dish regularly. It’s one of my favourites out of his recipe book of Indian vegetarian dishes. We tend to have curry-Saturdays since he bought that book. I didn’t know this was its proper name though. He cooked it week before last actually, I believe. :)
We always have it with some sort of pilau rice. I think he’s got a couple that he switches between. And poppadoms too. How did you serve yours?
We had it as a side dish alongside a curry and some naan bread but it’s good any way! :) I loooove poppadoms, should definitely have got some of those too!
We just get them at the supermarket in a box of ten and then he fries them in oil. (Makes a bit of an oil-mess sometimes, but it’s usually worth it.)
You can actually microwave poppadoms. I know it sounds weird!! Actually saw it on Jamie’s 15 minute meals. Just use a jug or bowl and place the poppadoms standing up (if possible)and microwave for 1-2 minutes until puffed up. Now they will smell a little funky but trust me they’re good!! Let them cool down and then eat.
I was skeptical at first because I worked in an Indian restaurant for 4 years and am used to deep fried poppadoms. But I have been converted!! They are way healthier too :D
Try it next time with just one and see what you think :)
Indian food. Spinach. Crockpot. Yes!!!!
Haha! I’m glad you get as excited about food as I do :D