Indian Vegetarian Recipes

15 Minute Easy Kadai Paneer

paneer and bell peppers served in a copper bowl

I love this easy Kadai Paneer recipe that you can make in 15 minutes using a shortcut! This is perfect for those busy days when you have little time to put dinner on the table. It comes out really good and pairs well with naan or roti!

Ok I am sharing an easy recipe of Kadai Paneer here which uses a shortcut and gets done in 15 minutes. If you have been following me for a while, you know I love cooking from scratch and the classic recipe of Kadai Paneer is one of my absolute favorites.

But there are days when I don’t want to do all those extra steps and want dinner quickly on the table. Yes pizza is great for those days and what’s also great on those days in this easy kadai paneer! When my brother was here, I made this quite often and Sarvesh and my brother insisted that I share this recipe because they enjoyed it so much.

This recipe uses a bottle of pasta sauce, yes store bought pasta sauce to make an instant version of kadai paneer! Now before you raise eyebrows, let me tell you this actually works well.

The sauce forms the base of the curry which is flavored with spices, butter and cream. The addition of spices, kasuri methi, butter and cream makes it taste authentic and close to the real deal. For the effort and time it takes (just 15 minutes including the prep time), this turns out fantastic and I am excited to share the recipe with you guys!

Ingredients

The ingredient list might seem long, especially the number of spices used but we need them to get as close to the real flavor as possible. It comes together super quickly I promise!

Pasta Sauce: for this instant and easy kadai paneer recipe, you need a good quality pasta sauce. Since the flavor of the sauce depends on the sauce, I recommend using a brand which tastes good. I love using Rao’s marinara sauce for this recipe (not sponsored, it’s just my favorite brand of store bought pasta sauce).

Spices: I use quite a bit of spices here to make the store bought pasta sauce taste like an authentic Indian sauce. So there’s coriander powder, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom powder and Kashmiri red chili powder for that nice red color. And of course there has to be some kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for flavor.

Butter & cream: to give the curry a little creaminess and sweetness, we use butter and cream. I love using salted Amul butter here.

Step by Step Instructions

Before you start make sure to soak paneer in warm water for 20 minutes. This is especially important if you are using frozen paneer or the ones sold in stores in US. If using fresh paneer, you can skip this step.

1- To a large pan/kadai, add 1 tablespoon oil on medium heat. To that add your quartered onions (petals separated) and cut bell peppers.

2- Sauté them for 3 to 4 minutes until they soften a little. Then remove them on a plate and set aside.

3- To the same pan, now add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add store bought marinara sauce (I love using Rao’s brand). Add around 1 & 1/2 to 1& 3/4 cup of marinara sauce. Mix it well.

4- Then add the following:

1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (for color)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon sugar
salt, to taste, around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon

Mix and cook the spices for around 30 seconds.

step by step picture collage of making quick 15 min kadai paneer

5- Add 1 tablespoon butter (I recommend using Amul butter) and 2 to 3 tablespoons cream. Mix until it’s combined and butter melts.

6- Now add 1 tablespoon crushed kasuri methi and mix.

7- Add in the paneer cubes along with the sautéed onions and peppers.

8- Mix everything together, garnish with cilantro. Your 15 minute Kadai Paneer is now ready to be served! Enjoy with naan or rotis!

Serving Suggestion

You can serve this easy kadai paneer with naan or tandoori roti.

Or with jeera rice.

Which Pasta Sauce To Use

This recipe is made with marinara sauce but honestly I have used different sauces like arrabiata sauce and that works well too.

Make sure to use a good brand of pasta sauce. I love Rao’s brand! Rao’s marinara has thick texture with some tomato chunks in it which give the base a good texture.

Re-heating Instructions

To re-heat, I recommend using a microwave. To re-heat in a pan, add some water and then cover the pan with a lid and let it heat for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. This way paneer pieces will soften again.

kadai paneer served in a bowl with rotis placed in the background

Tips & Notes

Use good quality marinara sauce for best results. I recommend the brand Rao’s or Lucini.
The sauce already has salt in it so adjust salt levels to taste.
To make it spicier, you can add some sliced green chilies or add more of the red chili powder.
The cream, butter and sugar helps balance the tartness of tomatoes so do not skip on those.
You can add more butter or cream to make it richer/creamier.
You may add some ginger-garlic paste as well.

If you’ve tried this Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen and on YouTube to watch my latest videos.

15 Minute Easy Kadai Paneer

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings

Calories 360kcal

Author Manali

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil 15 ml
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small red onion quartered and petals separated
1 small green pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
1&1/2 cup – 1&3/4 cup marinara sauce store-bought, I recommend Rao’s brand
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder used for color only, it’s not hot
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste as sauce also has salt
1 tablespoon salted butter I recommend using Amul butter
2-3 tablespoons cream 15-45 ml
226 grams paneer 8 oz, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon crushed kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves
cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Before you start make sure to soak paneer in warm water for 20 minutes. This is especially important if you are using frozen paneer or the ones sold in stores in US. If using fresh paneer, you can skip this step.
To a large pan/kadai, add 1 tablespoon oil on medium heat. To that add your quartered onions (petals separated) and cut bell peppers. Sauté them for 3 to 4 minutes until they soften a little. Then remove them on a plate and set aside.
To the same pan, now cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Then add store bought marinara sauce (I love using Rao’s brand). Add around 1 & 1/2 to 1& 3/4 cup of marinara sauce. Mix it well.
Then add the tomato paste, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (for color), garam masala, red chili powder, cardamom powder, sugar and salt to taste. Mix and cook the spices for 30 to 60 seconds.
Add the butter (I recommend using Amul butter) and cream. Mix until it’s combined and the butter melts.
Now add crushed kasuri methi and mix. Add in the paneer cubes along with the sautéed onions and peppers.
Mix everything together, garnish with cilantro. Your 15 minute Kadai Paneer is now ready to be served! Enjoy with naan!

Notes

Use good quality marinara sauce for best results. I recommend the brand Rao’s or Lucini.
The sauce already has salt in it so adjust salt levels to taste.
To make it spicier, you can add some sliced green chilies or add more of the red chili powder.
The cream, butter and sugar helps balance the tartness of tomatoes so do not skip on those.
You can add more butter or cream to make it richer/creamier.
You may add some ginger-garlic paste as well.

Nutrition

Indian Vegetarian Recipes

Sweet Potato Payasam recipe

Sweet potato payasam, also known as Sakkaravalli kizhangu paysam, is a sweet kheer made with sweet potato, moong dal, and jaggery as its main ingredients. I was planning to post my mom’s version of sweet potato curry with jaggery. Though i am not a big fan of this, but mom makes it very nice, and my sister, my mom, and my grandma will feast on this during the festival time. It will taste more like a halwa. I will post this sometime. I just casually tried, as a few sweet potatoes have been lying in my kitchen for a week. Since many of us will have this veggie left over after Pongal festival, I thought we could use it for making payasam for kannu pongal. Check out my

Arisi thengai payasam
Rava payasam

Sweet potato payasam recipe

Sweet Potato payasam

Traditional jaggery based payasam made with sweet potato

Course Sweet, Traditional sweet

Cuisine Global, Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Author Jeyashri suresh

Ingredients

2 Sweet Potato
¼ cup Moong dal
¾ cup Jaggery
Cashew nuts few
2 tsp Ghee
½ tsp Cardamom powder
½ cup Milk optional

Instructions

Peel the skin of the sweet potato, wash it, and chop it into big chunks.
In a pressure cooker add 1 tsp of ghee and add the moong dal and roast it for 2 minutes in a low flame. Now add the sweet potato and saute it for a minute.
Add 2 cups of water to this and pressure cook this for 3-4 whistles.
In a pan add the jaggery and add 1/2 cup of water and boil it till the jaggery melts. Filter the impurities and allow this to boil for 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, mash the cooked sweet potato and moong dal mixture.
Add 1 cup water as it will be thick. Add the jaggery water to this.
Fry the cashew nuts in ghee and add this to the payasam. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
Once it is completely cool add milk. Ensure the milk is not hot. Let it be cool.
I didn’t add milk to the payasam. Adding milk gives a nice creamy texture to the payasam.

Notes

1. I added 1/2 cup of jaggery but I found the payasam is less sweet so I have increased the quantity in the ingredients list.

2. The payasam tends to thicken more so add milk if you are consuming it later.

3. Ensure the milk is cool, and the kheer is also cool. This is to avoid the payasam getting curdled.

4. You can add 1/2 cup of first coconut milk instead of milk to this sweet potato payasam.

sakkavalli kizhangu paysam
Method:

Peel the skin of the sweet potato, wash it, and chop it into big chunks.

In a pressure cooker add 1 tsp of ghee and add the moong dal and roast it for 2 minutes in a low flame. Now add the sweet potato and saute it for a minute.

Add 2 cups of water to this and pressure cook this for 3-4 whistles.

In a pan add the jaggery and add 1/2 cup of water and boil it till the jaggery melts. Filter the impurities and allow this to boil for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the cooked sweet potato and moong dal mixture.
Add 1 cup water as it will be thick. Add the jaggery water to this.

Fry the cashew nuts in ghee and add this to the payasam. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.
Once it is completely cool add milk. Ensure the milk is not hot. Let it be cool.

I didn’t add milk to the payasam. Adding milk gives a nice creamy texture to the payasam.

Notes:

I added 1/2 cup of jaggery, but I found the payasam to be less sweet, so I have increased the quantity in the ingredients list.
The payasam tends to thicken more so add milk if you are consuming it later.
Ensure the milk is cool, and the kheer is also cool. This is to avoid the payasam getting curdled.
You can add 1/2 cup of first coconut milk instead of milk.

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