Saag Butter Beans (Beans in Indian Spinach Sauce)
Saag butter beans — creamy spinach curry with melt-in-your-mouth beans and lots of amazing Indian spices — is a hearty, veggie-forward main dish that’s just got an incredible flavor and texture! What makes it really special is the crispy garlic chili oil tempering that you drizzle on top. Serve with rice, naan, flatbread, or sourdough for an easy, flavorful meal. Gluten-free soyfree and nutfree
I finally got some butter beans to use in this simple saag. Saag basically means greens, and the most common saag uses mustard greens. For this saag we use spinach to make a really flavorful spinach curry with a set of spices for the authentic flavor. If you don’t have every single spice listed here, use whichever spices you have, and it will still turn out amazing.
To get the right texture for the greens, use frozen spinach and pulse it in the food processor while it’s still frozen. That gives it this coarsely chopped texture which I really love in my saag. If you don’t like any texture in your saag, you can puree the spinach with some water or non-dairy milk and use that mixture.
Choose whichever method you like for preparing your saag. Whether the texture is chunky, chopped, or smooth, it will taste amazing, especially with these creamy butter beans and savory tempering!
Instructions
- Garnish with some pepper flakes and vegan parmesan.
- Make the tempering/tadka by heating oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add red chili and let it cook until it starts to change color. Then add garlic and mix in before switching off the heat. Pour this onto the saag beans.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oil for toasting spices and sautéing, as well as for making the tempering/tarka.
- Whole spices like cumin seeds, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick.
- Ground spices such as coriander, Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika), garam masala, fenugreek, and black pepper.
- Onion for umami.
- Salt to help the onion cook properly and enhance flavors.
- Ginger garlic paste for umami and heat.
- Tomato paste for umami, can be substituted with ketchup or tomato puree.
- Frozen spinach, finely chopped or use finely chopped fresh greens like mustard greens, amaranth greens, or chard.
- Non-dairy yogurt for creaminess and tang, can use other non-dairy cream like cashew cream or vegan sour cream.
- Water to bulk out the sauce, can use non-dairy milk for a creamier sauce.
- Cooked butter beans, can be substituted with other white beans or chickpeas.
- Garnishes like pepper flakes and vegan parmesan. Use nut-free and/or soy-free vegan parmesan, if necessary.
tempering – In addition to the oil, you’ll need a whole red chili such as cayenne or Indian chili, and a thinly sliced clove of garlic.
💡 Tips for the Best Saag
Use frozen spinach, and chop it finely in a food processor. If you like it super smooth, add a little water or non-dairy milk and run it until the spinach has almost a smoothie-like consistency.
After cooking, adjust the texture to your preference. Add more non-dairy milk if you want it thinner or cook it a little longer to thicken.
How to Make Saag Butter Beans
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and cook until they’re very fragrant and change color to be evenly dark brown. This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then, add in the bay leaves and cinnamon stick and mix in for 10 seconds or so, then mix in the ground spices. If the spices are starting to smoke, reduce the heat to medium low. Mix for just a few seconds, and mix in the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Garnish with crispy garlic chili oil and enjoy this creamy spinach curry with beans and Indian spices. Pair it with rice, naan, flatbread, or sourdough for a delicious and easy meal. Enhance the flavor of this creamy spinach curry with beans and Indian spices by serving it with rice, naan, flatbread, or sourdough for a simple yet delicious meal. Garnish with the crispy garlic chili oil tempering and serve with rice, naan, flatbread, or sourdough for a delicious and easy meal.Saag Butter Beans (Beans in North Indian Spinach curry)
Saag butter beans — creamy spinach curry with melt-in-your-mouth beans and lots of amazing Indian spices — is a hearty, veggie-forward main dish that’s just got an incredible flavor and texture! What makes it really special is the crispy garlic chili oil tempering that you drizzle on top. Serve with rice, naan, flatbread, or sourdough for an easy, flavorful meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
sentence: Please remember to bring your ID with you to the event. following sentence:
Is this recipe allergy friendly?
This recipe is gluten free. It’s also nut-free and soy-free as long as you use nut-free and/or soy-free non-dairy yogurt, vegan parmesan, and non-dairy milk.
What can I use instead of spinach in my saag?
You can use any finely chopped greens you like, such as mustard greens, amaranth greens, or Swiss chard.
I need to go to the store to buy some groceries.
I have to go to the store to purchase some groceries. The statement is missing, please provide more context or information to rewrite. The document needs to be rewritten.
