Quick Saag Aloo (Spinach and Potato Curry)

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Looking for a delicious way to spice up your leftover potatoes? Look no further than this quick and easy saag aloo recipe – a simple Indian curry on the table in less than 20 minutes!

Alternatively, if there are never any leftover potatoes in your house (join the club), you can instead use tinned potatoes, like I did here, to whip up a quick saag aloo in no time at all.

Saag aloo in a bowl with a spoon.

This easy saag aloo needs just a handful of ingredients, and in no time you’ll be tucking in to this intensely flavourful, creamy spinach and potato curry.

The luscious creamy sauce soaks right into the potatoes, and makes an incredible Indian side dish to serve alongside your favourite vegetarian curry.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s such a quick recipe, which can be on the table in less than 20 minutes! Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re short on time.
  • Using already-cooked potatoes (either leftovers or tinned potatoes) means you can skip the peeling and boiling process, saving precious minutes in the kitchen.
  • Saag aloo is a versatile dish that can be served as a side dish, or dressed up a little to make a perfect main course.
  • It’s a really budget-friendly recipe, especially if you’re using up your leftovers (which helps reduce food waste too!).
  • The recipe is surprisingly low calorie, with less than 200 calories per portion – so there’s plenty of scope for serving it alongside another curry, or with some naan bread or rice.

🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll also need a few cupboard staples, like oil, salt and pepper. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for quick saag aloo with text overlay.
  • cooked potatoes – I used tinned potatoes, but if you have any leftover potatoes from a previous meal, they will work well too.
  • spinach – I used fresh spinach, but frozen would be fine too.
  • onion
  • garlic – I used minced garlic from a jar.
  • spices – garam masala, turmeric, and smoked paprika.
  • cream (use a vegan version if needed)

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’d prefer to serve this saag aloo as a main course, rather than a side dish, you may want to add some additional protein. Tinned chickpeas, paneer cheese, or fried tofu would all work really well!

📋 Instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe – see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Spiced onions cooking in a frying pan.

Step 1: Fry off some chopped onion with plenty of spices.

Tinned potatoes being cooked in a frying pan with onions and spices.

Step 2: Add the cooked potatoes, and let them crisp up a little.

Spinach and potato curry cooking in a frying pan.

Step 3: Add some fresh spinach, and allow it to wilt.

Creamy spinach and potato curry in a frying pan.

Step 4: Finish the sauce by adding some cream.

Creamy saag aloo in a bowl.

Step 5: Serve as a side dish.

Becca’s Top Tip

You won’t want to leave any of the tasty creamy sauce behind, so I’d recommend serving some naan bread on the side to help mop up the bowl!

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I use fresh potatoes instead of tinned or leftover ones?

Absolutely! Ideally, you’ll peel the potatoes, then cut them into bitesized chunks, and boil them until they’re just tender. Then cook the recipe as written.

How spicy is this saag aloo recipe?

I’d say this recipe is more ‘spiced’ rather than ‘spicy’ – meaning there’s not a huge amount of heat in it. Feel free to add some chilli powder if you like a bit of a kick!

Can I make this saag aloo in advance?

This is the sort of curry that reheats really nicely – and if anything, the flavours will only get better over time! So feel free to prepare this quick saag aloo in advance when you have time, and store it in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

Can I freeze saag aloo leftovers?

Leftovers should freeze nicely in an airtight tub. Beware that the turmeric in the recipe might stain a plastic tub, so use a freezer-safe glass container instead, if you have one!

Creamy spinach and potato curry in a bowl with a spoon.
Creamy spinach and potato curry in a bowl.

Quick and Easy Saag Aloo

This quick saag aloo is a budget-friendly vegetarian curry that uses leftover or canned potatoes, and can be on the table in 20 minutes!

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Comment
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 188kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 345 g (~ 12 oz) cooked potatoes (I used canned), cut into bitesized pieces
  • 3 large handfuls fresh spinach
  • 75 ml (~ 1/4 cup) cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan, and add the sliced onion. Cook for a few minutes over a medium heat, until it’s beginning to soften. Add the garlic and spices, and cook for another minute or so.
  • Next, add the cooked potatoes to the pan. Stir gently for a few minutes, until the potatoes are coated in the spices, and are beginning to crisp up.
  • Add the spinach, and allow it to wilt. You can add one handful at a time, if you don’t have room for all the spinach in one go – it will create more room in the pan as it wilts down.
  • When the spinach has wilted, add the cream, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When everything is piping hot, serve.

Notes

If you’d like to cook this recipe in advance, store it in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Quick and Easy Saag Aloo
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 188 Calories from Fat 70
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.8g12%
Saturated Fat 2.5g13%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 430mg18%
Potassium 616mg18%
Carbohydrates 27.3g9%
Fiber 3.6g14%
Sugar 2.7g3%
Protein 4g8%
Calcium 81mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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5 from 8 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




16 Comments

  1. thank you so much!
    The potatoes tended to be quite dry i didnt know how the sauce was created even when i added cream. Did you add water?5 stars

    1. I didn’t, but that’s interesting! Perhaps your potatoes were just particularly thirsty and sucked up a lot of the sauce (which I guess made them extra tasty!). You could definitely add a splash of water or a little more cream if you want it a bit saucier.

  2. Excellent quick and tasty and low cal meal thank you. Is helping me I’ve lost 6stone and need meals like this. Great5 stars

  3. I wasn’t going to cook anything for the night, but then came across this recipe and gave it a try. A very quick and tasty recipe, indeed. I deviated a little. I used cumin and mustard seeds, fried them till they sputtered, added a dried bay leaf, and then added onions. I can’t have any Indian dish without cumin and mustard seeds. At least cumin seeds is a must for me for Indian food. Next time, I might even add tomatoes. Will bring some sweet and sour taste to the dish.5 stars