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
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 50ml water
- ½ vegetable stock cube, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon 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.
Nicole says
Easy simple curry. I fried up my onions and spices before adding it to the slow cooker. Also added some garlic and pepper. I ate it with garlic naan it really hit the spot!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Sounds great, I love garlic naan! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Lana says
Hi,
Do you think this recipe would work with frozen spinach? I would appreciate any recommendations on quantity or other alterations needed. Thanks!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Absolutely, I think I would do it in a frying pan though rather than in the slow cooker - frozen spinach might just disintegrate in the slow cooker! I'd just cook the potatoes and spices etc first, then add as much frozen spinach as you like, and just cook it until it's defrosted and hot. It's much quicker that way anyway :)
Lisa says
I can't tell you how much me and my family love this recipe! It's so easy and tasty. I have made it countless times. Definitely a winner. Thanks
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay! Thanks so much Lisa!
Cinthia says
So just to be clear, you didn't add any water to this recipe?
It looks really good, I just bought a slow cooker and really want to try some recipes on it.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Cinthia, I added 50ml water as it says in the recipe :)
Lisa says
Really great but I decided to add the spinach at the end so it didn't turn to mush :)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Fair enough! Hope you enjoyed it :)
janine groehler says
Just wondered if you think this would work with vegan sausage added for the protien. I'm kinda burned out on chick peas.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I'm sure it would! You might want to brown the sausage in a frying pan first, but I'm sure it would be really tasty :)
Peter says
This was yum. I added the chickpeas. I think next time I might also add a little cauliflower.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Oh I just spotted this reply! Really pleased you liked it :) Cauliflower would be great in this too!
Stephen says
I'm going to try this recipe, but something stood out.
"Lacks a protein..."
It has more protein per pound than any meat.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Stephen, by my rough calculations this recipe has less than 4g of protein per serving, which is less than I would be hoping for from my main meal of the day :)
Peter says
Drop a can of chickpeas in at the end.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yep, that's what I suggested in the post, if you'd like to turn this recipe into a full meal :)
Peter says
I'm making it today for the first time, with the chickpeas!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Really hope you enjoyed it Peter! :)
Heather says
I just want to tell you how much I enjoyed this recipe-- it was so good! I am definitely going to make it again.
The only changes were that I used nonstick spray on the interior of my crockpot's stoneware liner, and that I added in ~1tsp (maybe a pinch more) of minced garlic and ginger, each.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! :-)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
You're more than welcome Heather, thanks for the lovely comment! Glad you liked it! :)
Tricia says
Made this today and loved it. So hard to find nice vegetarian dishes for the slow cooker- thank you. Used a mix of normal and sweet potatoes, just because I like them.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Tricia! I have a few other slow cooker recipes too :) https://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/tag/slow-cooker/