This slow cooker saag recipe is incredible. It’s so rich, buttery and delicious that you’ll forget you’re eating vegetables. Seriously. It’s THAT good. This recipe is the real deal. It’s how this popular Indian dish should be made. This isn’t just any saag, it’s Sarson ka Saag.
A little background on this dish – Saag just means pureed greens, so when you order this dish in a restaurant, chances are that it’s slightly different at each place. Some will add kale, broccoli, even brussels sprouts to their saag (I’ve even made saag using foraged ramps also known as wild leeks). Many make “Palak Saag” which is saag made with spinach. My favorite saag is authentic Punjabi saag or “Sarson ka Saag” which translates to “saag made with mustard greens.” This Punjabi saag is typically made with mustard greens, some spinach and lots and lots of ghee. There’s no negotiating on the ghee. It’s essential.
This Saag recipe is right up there in awesomeness with my Paleo Butter Chicken. The best part about this traditional recipe is that I didn’t have to “make it Paleo.” It’s Paleo by default.
What I love about this Sarson ka Saag is that it’s so thick and luxurious. Some of you may be wondering if you can make this saag using just spinach – don’t do it. Using spinach alone will make for a thinner saag. The mustard greens thicken it up and make for much better texture. I use an equal portion of mustard greens and spinach but you can add more mustard greens if you prefer.
Saag is traditionally eaten with Makki ki Roti aka a flatbread made with corn. I like eating this saag with my Spicy Indian Flatbread but you can also use my Paleo Naan or Paleo Roti recipes.
Once the saag is ready, you can mix in some paleo paneer, meat or potatoes at the end if you’d like. Just don’t forget to serve it with a dollop of ghee on top!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 2- inch knob ginger minced
- 2 heaping tablespoons or 7 cloves garlic minced (I use my garlic press)
- 1-2 Serrano peppers minced (remove seeds/rib if you don’t like it spicy!)
- 2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder use less if using cayenne
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound 16 ounces fresh baby spinach (large container), rinsed
- 1 pound 16 ounces chopped mustard leaves (stem removed), rinsed
add later:
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Pinch of kasoori methi aka fenugreek leaves
- ghee
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons ghee, onion, ginger, garlic, Serrano pepper, and spices to your crock pot. Set on high for 1 hour.
- While that’s cooking, grab a very large pot. Add the mustard and spinach leaves to the large pot – then fill with water (do not put lid on pot!*).
- Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain leaves and let them cool.
- Once cool, place leaves in a blender and blend to your desired consistency (add a little water as needed to help you blend).
- Place the blended leaves into your crock pot, reduce heat to low, put lid on and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, add 1 tablespoon ghee, garam masala and pinch of kasoori/fenugreek leaves. Mix well and let this cook for another hour on low.
- Serve this saag with a heaping spoonful of ghee on top!
Notes
just for fun, here is a photo from 2014:
Like Indian food? Then be sure to check out my Paleo Indian eCookbook: South Asian Persuasion! It has 100+ Paleo Indian Recipes (gulab jamun, anyone?) 🙂
Tanuka Ghoshal says
Can this be made in the instant pot on the slow cooker setting? I do not own a crockpot.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Tanuka, I have a few instant pot recipes on my blog that you can try! Here is my instant pot saag recipe and here’s my instant pot palak paneer recipe.
Supreet Kaur says
Hi! I’m sorry but this this recipe is nowhere close to Sarson ka saag. Firstly, the proportion is incorrect. Secondly, more than half of the ingredients are never ever put in saag.
The correct portion and ingredients are:
2 lbs curly mustard leaves
1/2 lbs spinach
1/2 lbs bathua/ Chenopodium (English name)
Ginger
Garlic
Green chillies
Salt
Ghee
Alhan (cornmeal/ makki ka atta)
Red chilli powder
Ingredients that are never added saag:
Coriander powder
Cumin powder
Haldi
Garam masala
Kasoori methi
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for sharing… hopefully my method/timings will be helpful with your recipe.
rudi boaz says
I had an unreasonable amount of feral spinach in my flowerbeds. add to this chard, tatsoi and arugula, sub coconut cream for the ghee, and it’s yard to table vegan. you’re right tho, while incredible with the coconut, it’s better with ghee. next round, with fresh peas.
My Heart Beets says
that’s awesome!! yard to table lol – love it!
Jimny Crumples says
Fantastic stuff! Roughly how many of those full bowls will the recipe make? I want to feed twenty people. Thank you.
LL says
Hi Ashley! Could you give me an estimate for how many people this will serve? Or approximately how many cups it makes? Thanks!
suzanne says
HI there- Is this similar to Palak Paneer? My kids are dying for me to make that!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Suzanne! Yes it is 🙂 For palak paneer just use all spinach (instead of spinach and mustard greens) and add some fried paneer at the end! You can also add a bit of heavy cream to make it more restaurant like if you prefer 🙂
Kate says
What do you usually eat this with?
My Heart Beets says
Traditionally, this is served with makki ki roti (corn roti) but you can eat it with anything – basmati rice or roti or naan.
Hannah says
This sounds lovely. I can’t find fenugreek leaves, would I be able to substitute ground fenugreek or fenugreek seeds?
My Heart Beets says
Thank you! Unfortunately you cannot sub seeds for leaves – the seeds are stronger and more bitter in flavor. You can leave the fenugreek leaves out – better to omit than substitute – it will still be delicious 🙂
Peachy says
Hi there Ashley!
I’ve been making your Saag for a couple of years now, and I just love it so much! I’ve just had a couple of ideas to change it slightly, and I wanted to see what you thought? I’m not very good with the mechanics of food, and I just want to know if you’ve tried any of these and, if so, whether they were successful.
1) I was thinking about frying the leaves in a small amount of oil instead of the boiling water. Every time I pour out that water I feel like I’m pouring out a lot of flavour!
2) I’m thinking about adding tomato! I was wondering if there’s a reason you do not? Does it not fare so well when you cook it for so many hours?
3) I want to add a cinnamon stick, and I’m thinking about pureeing some almonds or some cashews or something of that nature, just a small handful of 10 or so. What do you think of that? I thought that the cinnamon might enhance the aftertaste, and the nuts might enhance the immediate flavour. Have you tried either of those before?
I love your work! 🙂
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been making my saag for years now! Instead of frying, maybe at the end you can hit the sauté button and reduce the water that way 🙂 that’s what I would do. You can also definitely add tomato if you’d like! It’s up to you 🙂 Some add it to saag and others don’t. You can adapt this recipe however you see fit and to your taste – I always suggest making a recipe of mine once as written – after that, feel free to play around!
Peachy says
Thanks for replying Ashley! I’m using a very basic slow cooker that doesn’t have a saute setting, so I think I’ll try using less water and then reducing it on a low flame for a while, see where that takes me! Thanks again!
vincent j robertson says
absolutely no way to print this recipe which I really like the look of . the PDF page comes up with no Print option. Bummer.
My Heart Beets says
Hmm I see a print option on the recipe card — when you scroll down to the card. You don’t see this?
Palo Barker says
Delicious, I used spring greens, which took longer.
My Heart Beets says
Glad you hear that you liked it 🙂
Elizabeth says
Madhur who? This recipe is ridiculously good. I made it on the stovetop due to time constraints, but otherwise followed the recipe. Better than any saag I’ve ever had – and I’ve had plenty. Taste tested it early on, and it wasn’t so great – don’t be discouraged ! The continued cooking and addition of garam masala, etc later on made all the difference. This is going in my recipe box !! I gave this 5 stars, but the stars keep disappearing.
My Heart Beets says
Elizabeth, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Pamy Arora says
Turns out perfect every time. Thanks Ashey.
My Heart Beets says
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Sibi says
I wouldn’t boil the greens in so much water and drain the water. I’d just chop them and to the gravy.
Amy says
Hello,
I need help! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out very watery, What happened?
Thank you
Sibi says
Don’t boil the greens in so much water. Just chop them and add to the gravy.
Dani says
The recipe looks good, I just wanted to point out that it is not vegan. Vegans don’t eat any animal by products that includes ghee. I think you may have meant vegetarian.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Dani! I just checked and don’t believe that I said that this was vegan in the blog post. If I did write it somewhere then please let me know where so I can correct it.
Alexa says
I don’t often comment on blogs, but I have to join in and say that this recipe is SO GOOD. I’ve been trying to figure out how to re-create saag at home for a while, but everything tasted a little…off. Until now. I’ve made this recipe with both collard and mustard greens and it was excellent both times. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Glad you like the recipe, Alexa! 🙂
jenn says
I love this saag. It’s something that is made at regular basis at my home. but as a working mom, I always find myself scrunching time. so here come the hero of my life….Pressure cooker (with all the drums, trumpets and confetti haha…) so do the tempering in the cooker add your grated ginger garlic finely chopped chillies and onions. saute for a couple mins. Add your washed trimmed roughly chopped greens , salt any other condiments. close the lid, cook for 15-18 mins on med heat or 2 whistles. open the cooker when the pressure dies and give a whirl or two with immersion/hand blender. squeeze lemon juice. i am done and out onto other stuff in 20 mins. tip: a couple pinches of turmeric in greens, helps in keeping the fresh green color…enjoy
jenn says
and ofcourse , need to add water too for cooking
My Heart Beets says
Yes! If you have an Instant Pot I actually have a version there you can try: myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-saag-pressure-cooker/
Katherine says
Thank you once again for your amazing recipes from South Asian Persuasion, Ashley! Last night I had date #2 with a guy who seems to have great potential. He wanted to help make dinner, so I put him to work chopping garlic, onions, and peppers and mixing in spices. We made this saag, pulled pork, naan, and aloo. He loved your recipes and was delightfully surprised that there were no grains or dairy. (This was a great way to have the celiac and dairy allergy talk.) And there will be a date #3.
My Heart Beets says
This makes me so happy to hear! If y’all get married I hope I’m invited to the wedding lol 😉
Katherine says
Update: We’re getting married in November! You would be most welcome. I’m thinking of making one tier of our wedding cake as your chocolate rose skillet cake and the other two as chocolate.
He has loved everything I’ve made from SAP. The mulligatawny soup is a favorite with him and my godmother’s family. I just bought a second copy of SAP to give to a friend who has recently learned she must avoid gluten.
Thank you!!
My Heart Beets says
Congratulations, Katherine!! I am SO happy to hear the news! Please send photos of the wedding cake – I would LOVE to see it! So so happy for you! 🙂
Kyle says
If I wanted to include pieces of lamb or chicken in this recipe, when would I include it in the cooking process and how? I don’t want it overlooked and shredding apart but I want it to pull the full flavors and be tender.
My Heart Beets says
Kyle, you should cook the meat separately and add it in at the end. If you have my ebook, you can make the chicken tikka and add those pieces in at the end.
Georgie says
Hi Ashely,
As an Aussie who spent my childhood living in Fiji and eating mangoes and curries, it is amazing to find ways to tweak indian style dishes i adore, to my now socially isolating diet! I’m not paleo, but doing keto (second attempt) and starting to transition into that recently, hoping to broaden my recipe base – you are indispensable! paleo naan = nom nom with garlic butter melted on top. SO NOM!!
I am still trying to find mustard greens locally (i can find seeds, so maybe i’ll have to add to the veg patch) and i think they’re more commonly called gai choy so i’ll start scoping the asian groceries nearby.
So basically wanted to confirm that ‘gai choy’ is the right kind of mustard green for this dish, AND also ask if you think I could adapt this to ‘Lamb Saag’, at what stage would you add raw lamb chunks? Or cook lamb separate? Lamb saag is my FAVE dish to get from our local Indian restaurant so it’d be epic to be able to make myself! The restaurant version seems like it’s a slow cooked meat dish, with meat tender and falling apart easily. Any help on these ideas would be super helpful – tonight I’m making Masala Cauliflower and zucchini stir fry w curry leaves for the non-keto members of my family. WOO!
Georgie says
oh also – will powedered fenugreek work instead of fenugreek leaves? They didn’t have leaves at the best Indian grocer i know so they advised trying the powder instead. still do-able?
cheers,
georgie
My Heart Beets says
Unfortunately you can’t substitute the seeds/powder for the leaves – the leaves are much milder and have a different flavor than the seeds do. I suggest leaving them out vs. using powdered fenugreek. It’ll still taste good without the leaves!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Georgie! I’m glad you like the naan recipe!! If you can’t find mustard greens, you can use a different type of green veggie and it’ll still turn out well. As for adding lamb – I’d suggest cooking the lamb separately and then adding it to the saag at the end. I hope your family liked the masala cauliflower and zucchini thoran 🙂
Lisa says
I just made this along with your pale Naan. Both are incredibly delicious. I cant believe how creamy the saag came out without cream. Thank you so much! Your recipes are such a gift! I will be checking out your YouTube videos and following your blog. ?
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Lisa!! I’m so glad you liked both recipes 🙂 I hope you’ll let me know how any other recipes you try turn out for you!
Williamtync says
Thank you ever so for you article.Thanks Again. Really Great.
J says
This was so FANTASTIC that I’ve made it twice in one week! I am avoiding dairy (doing Whole30 this month) but have been having withdrawal symptoms from Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer, so I was looking for a paleo replacement – I’m so glad I found your site! I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
The first time I followed your instructions exactly, and it was PERFECT. The second time I was lazy and made it with frozen packages of kale and collard greens – about 25 ounces total – and I didn’t blend the greens, I just threw them in, frozen. It worked, but I had to leave the slow cooker on high an extra hour after adding greens and then ended up cooking it all night (another 7 hours) on low to make the sturdy greens more tender (I might have ruined it if I had used any delicate spinach). It still is has a great flavor, but I recommend blending it and using part spinach. (I didn’t have fenugreek so left that out both times.) Thanks!!
My Heart Beets says
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out for you! I’m glad you found my website too – can’t wait to hear what you think of other recipes you try 🙂
J says
Just an update… I still make this weekly, either with an assorted blend of whatever greens I pick up at the farmers’ market (chard, dandelion, ANYthing!) or with 2 bags of frozen organic spinach (plus a bag of green beans). I increase the spice amounts for my volume of greens and then eat it with medium boiled eggs (instead of paneer which I can’t have for now), and it is so delicious! One of these days I will find a market to get the fenugreek leaves… oh, and when I run out of garam masala I just add more cumin, coriander, and cinnamon . I love your fun blog and reading all your recipes. Now that the weather is cooler I will be trying lots more! Thank you!
Cassandra says
This is so amazing! My whole family loved it. I had to hide it in the fridge to make sure I got some leftovers!
My Heart Beets says
Happy to hear that, Cassandra!! 🙂
Jessica says
Hello Ashley
A newbie Paleo from South Africa with roots in South India. I love your recipes!!! Thank you for sharing with the world!
PS, is it essential to blanch and blend the leaves? Can we not put them into slow cooker raw and skip those two steps? I am a working mother and am always on the lookout for easy recipes…
Take care
Jessica
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Jessica!!! You can definitely add them in raw and then blend at the end 🙂
Selena says
I am in Australia and a quick google on mustard greens shows so many different varieties that obviously fall under this category, some of which I have never seen before. Are you able to show a picture of what the mustard greens you used for this recipe look like please? Then it would be a bit easier for me to decide what alternative/substitute I might be able to use if there is no exact type of that here in Australia. Thank you.
Linda says
I live in Australia and have ever seen or heard of mustard greens. It’s the middle of summer here, and kale is also not available easily where I live. Is there an alternative I could try that tastes authentic? I’ve got a whole heap of frozen spinach here I’m going to try and make it with, but I’m anxious it will be all watery :/ there is an Indian area about 1.5hrs away, and I can get ( and have got ) the methi leaves. Would mustard greens be called anything else?
melissa smith says
I NEED to make this tonight!!! But, I don’t have fenugreek and I’m not sure if I can make it to an Indian grocery store.. hing, check! Amchur, check, fenugreek, NONE!!!
Vandana says
Hi there! I am in the middle of making this. I have a couple of questions, first, I saved the drained water from the boiled greens, do you think it would be ok to add that to the dish to liquefy it a bit? I just feel it might have a lot of nutrients in it.
Second, I am going to try to use the hand mixer in the crock pot rather than blending in a blender. I think it should work, but I am wondering if you’ve ever done that. My kitchen is a disaster, so I wanted one less thing to wash . Haha
My Heart Beets says
Hi Vandana, I hope the saag turned out well for you. I’ve used an immersion blender and that has worked for me – though it doesn’t get quite as smooth as my Blendtec. As for the water, I think adding it will make the saag too thin and soupy but that’s your call. Hope that helps!
Mona says
Wow!!! Wonderful!!!
I’m starting the whole30 tomorrow and wanted to prep ahead. All I can say is my house smells wonderful, it tastes so delicious and I’ll be serving over cauliflower “rice” all week. Thanks so much for this. I may just purchase that e-book now.
My Heart Beets says
Mona, hooray!! Happy to hear that!! Good luck with your whole30 and if you get my eBook – I hope you’ll love all of the recipes in it just as much!
Lisa says
This recipe looks amazing! Do you know what the yield is in terms of cups? I’m anticipating if I should scale the recipe up to ensure I have some leftovers. Love your blog!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Lisa! I’m not sure how many cups this will yield, but I know it always results in plenty of leftovers when I make it for me and my hubby. You can definitely double this but if this is your first time making it, I’d suggest following the recipe exactly!
Marlene says
Just discovered your blog. I’m not paleo but love Indian food and can’t wait to try this Saag. I have fenugreek seeds but haven’t found the leaves locally, though I’ll keep looking and try to get to the Indian store. Can I sub the toasted and ground seeds in the meantime? Thanks, and I’m looking forward to exploring your blog and recipes.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Marlene! Glad you found my blog 🙂 I don’t suggest using the seeds in place of the leaves – the seeds are bitter and don’t make a great substitute. The saag will be good even without the methi/fenugreek leaves. Let me know what you think of the recipe!
Lisa mack says
Mustard greens are only available in the Indian grocery stores as far as I know and not all through the year. Good to know it can be made with kale as I’ll definitely be doing that.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Lisa! I’ve seen mustard greens at regular grocery stores too! My Kroger seems to always have it. Hope you love it when you try it 🙂
Brooke says
I am for sure going to try this this weekend, but was wondering if it would work to cook down the greens in the slow cooker and then use a hand blender when they soften… to retain all the benefits of the greens in one pot. So much gets lost from boiling! 🙂 Thanks… excited to explore your site!
My Heart Beets says
Brooke, so sorry for the late reply! Yes, you can definitely do that 🙂 Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Melissa says
I’ve made this twice and love it! The second time I made it in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and reduced the times: 1st step – 20 min. 2nd step – 40 min. 3rd step – 20 again. I also used whole smashed garlic cloves which works better than minced in a pressure cooker.
My Heart Beets says
Melissa, I love that you made this in an Instant Pot! You can probably just combine all of the steps next time so you don’t have to keep opening/closing the pot. I might have to make a youtube video of this! Thanks for the idea 🙂
Melissa says
How long would you cook it total in a pressure cooker if you combined the steps? Please let me know if you try it and like it in a pressure cooker as well as a slow cooker.
By the way, we have three dairy intolerant people in my family. The first time I made it with ghee because I know that only the fat is left in the ghee. However, it seemed to not sit well with me. The second time I made it with coconut oil instead. I know that is completely not authentic, but it still did taste really good!
My Heart Beets says
Melissa, will do! And coconut oil is fine – I’m glad you made it and liked it 🙂
Erin says
Yes, please give us this recipe tweaked for Instant Pot!! Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi, here’s the IP version: http://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-saag-pressure-cooker/ Enjoy!
Al says
Hey, this is the next thing from your blog I’m going to make. Do you think the slow cooking in the crockpot is essential to the flavor? I can do the kind of crockpot recipe where you leave on at home all day or overnight and just stop after 6 or 8 hours, but with this it looks like you need to check back with it after 1, 3 and 4 hours. Have you ever just cooked it in a regular big pot on the at higher heat for a shorter period of time? I know with things like pork shoulder you really can’t shortcut the long slow cooking time, but I wondered if you had alternative shortcut instructions for this.
My Heart Beets says
Al, you can make this in a big pot and just cook it until you like the flavor. Saag is a really forgiving recipe. You can also add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook it on low for 6-8 hours. I wrote out the directions like this because this is how I like to make it – I cook the onions first to add a little more flavor and then add extra ghee and garam masala at the end, again for flavor. However you make this, as long as you use the same ingredients, it’ll turn out well 🙂 Let me know what you think after you try it!
Al says
Hi Ashley, thanks for responding. I actually spent last Friday night making this according to your directions. It’s funny…I got through about 11:00 and tried a bowl right out of the slow cooker and thought I had failed. It was really pungent and I thought I had gotten some “off” greens or the spices wrong. I thought to myself…well you might as well put it in the refrigerator and finish it since it’s probably good for you anyway. Then Saturday night after letting it sit in the fridge for a day I tried another bowl and it was great! I finished up the half I didn’t freeze Sunday night and that was even better. Either my taste buds adjusted to the flavor or else sitting in the refrigerator allowed the saag to mellow out. I’m going to take some home to my mother, who’s a great traditional Southern cook. She makes turnip greens and collards all the time, but I bet she’s never had greens like this. I appreciate all the work you put into your recipes and this site. You’ve really helped broaden my horizons.
My Heart Beets says
Al, thanks for letting me know how it turned out – I hope your mom likes the recipe! I find that I like a lot of Indian dishes better the next day (especially fish curries). I hope you’ll let me know if you try any other recipes on the site 🙂
Liz says
Do you think this would freeze ok?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Liz, yup it should freeze just fine.
Jennifer G says
I’ve frozen it with a layer of waxed paper over the top. Froze perfectly and tasted great once thawed several weeks later.
Randi G says
Like so many others, your 3-ingredient naan was my gateway recipe into your blog. And *so* glad this was my second! It was my first time using kasoori methi and realized it makes all the difference and now looking forward to using it in your other recipes. Thanks so much!
My Heart Beets says
Randi, I’m so glad you liked the saag! And, I completely agree – just a pinch of kasoori methi really does make a difference. I hope you’ll let me know what you think of my other recipes 🙂
Cicely E. says
I am in love with you and this blog! As a formulator and holistic health practitioner, it’s difficult to find the perfect food source/site for our clients, as we don’t have time to always develop new recipes. Your meals are amazing as is, and are totally adaptable which I truly appreciate. I am about 85% paleo now and you have helped my transition! I first fell in love with your naan. Nuff said! Thank you and I will be sharing your blog and recipes, with credit of course, to my clients. You also inspired me to create my own blog. Love and blessings!
Alex says
Hi! I went to the grocery store and they had two types of mustard greens-curly mustard greens and chinese mustard greens. Which do you use? Thanks so much!
-Alex
My Heart Beets says
Alex, you are lucky to have varieties to choose from at your grocery store! You can use either – I use whatever I can get my hands on. Out of the two, I’d say go with curly – but that’s only because I’m not sure I’ve tried Chinese mustard greens. I bet they’re both good. Let me know what you think of the saag 🙂
Lisa says
So I plan to review everything I make of yours, it’s ALL THAT GOOD! Hope you don’t mind 🙂 LOL.
This past Tuesday was my second time making this delicious Saag. I am a holistic health coach and have been following a gluten free/Paleo lifestyle for two years now, and I am seriously never disappointed when I make your recipes! Neither is my husband! As Indian food lovers, this Saag beats the Saag Paneer we get at our local Indian restaurant that we LOVE!!! So kudos to you 🙂 I follow the recipe exactly, always using two full Serrano peppers and love the level of heat. Of course, we make Naan to go with it. This is a winner! As is your butter chicken, but I will review that one separately. So grateful to have been introduced to your blog Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Lisa, I appreciate that A LOT, thank you!! I’m so happy to hear that you like my recipes so much 🙂 Your comments (this and the carrot cake) definitely made my morning and hopefully they’ll encourage other readers to try out my recipes!
Veerpal says
When do you add the salt and pepper
My Heart Beets says
Veerpal, add them with the rest of the spices into your crock pot. You can also always adjust the amount of salt at the end.
pam says
This recipe was AWSOME! This is my first time making Indian food and it was complete success. We made the saag, but cooked it an hour less than stated (we were really hungry). We also made the naan in smaller rounds and filled them with saag and a bit of butter, then folded them over. It made excellent finger food that my kids loved! Yummy!
My Heart Beets says
Pam, I’m glad you and your kids liked this recipe so much! I love the idea of filling the naan with saag, I’ll have to try that some time!
Ashley says
This is delish! I’ve used several types of greens and it always turns out well. Ashley, if you come out with a cookbook I’ll buy it! I really love all of your dishes! I make them all the time now.
My Heart Beets says
Aww thank you, Ashley! That’s really nice of you to say and I appreciate the support 🙂
Keithjw says
For this dish, I found that a good mix for the greens (to provide the saag with a nice rich flavor and texture) turned out to be:
50% spinach
50% beet greens, curly kale, bok choy
The Russian kale also works nicely. The bok choy really adds a nice flavor. With these greens, the texture came out very, very thick.
In addition I added a tbs or so of a homemade roasted red curry paste (made with roasted garlic, peppers, ginger, roasted ground spices, and a little sundried tomato). You can also use lemon grass if you have it on hand.
My Heart Beets says
That sounds absolutely delicious, Keith!
April says
This is a fabulous recipe! The first time I made it, I used mustard greens and cayann but my family does not like any degree of spice. I loved it so much that I tried again. This time I used whatever greens i had ( turnip greens, radish greens, dandelion greens) and no cayann. Everyone was happy. This is a fabulous recipe! Thank you!!!
My Heart Beets says
April, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it – and that you made it work for you 🙂
joanna says
i’m making this right now and the house smells amazing!! my sister- who never eats anything remotely paleo- commented on the how good it smelled when she got home. i was shocked at how much 2 lbs of greens cooks down!! after i blended it in my vitamix, it only filled half the blender. i had to use dandelion greens because i went to 3 stores for mustard greens and the produce guys didn’t even know what they were haha i’m hoping the dandelion greens work though. will comment back after i tried it!
My Heart Beets says
Joanna, that’s awesome! So happy to hear this 🙂 And yes, the greens definitely do cook down! Let me know how the recipe turns out with the dandelion greens!
joanna says
well, it’s officially awesome. the dandelion greens worked perfectly. it is so flavorful, thick, and creamy!!! i’ve never had saag before so i can’t compare it to others, but i can’t believe how there isn’t cream in here- just a few tbsp of butter. it’s still super luxurious!
Del says
Just picked up some dandelion greens at the farmer’s market. Excited to throw them into the mix.
P.S. I love this blog. I’m able to infuse your ideas with the traditional Indian cooking I grew up on.
My Heart Beets says
Del, so happy to hear that!! 🙂
Amy Pinto says
I had a ton of fresh spinach (by fresh I mean picked that day from the farm down the road) so I knew I wanted to make something special out of it. I didn’t have mustard greens so I used collard greens. Not sure if the flavor came out how it’s “supposed” to, but it sure is tasty!! The texture seems good, not thin at all. My slow cooker is on the fritz too, so I cooked on low in a large cast iron crock pot and it worked too. Had it with dinner last night and again for breakfast with scrambled egg and your naan!!
My Heart Beets says
Amy, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you used your super fresh spinach for this saag recipe! I love the idea of adding collards – I bet they helped thicken the dish. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Patty says
I just love this recipe. I got mustard greens from my CSA and I didn’t have any spinach so I used beet greens and turnip greens with the mustard greens. It turned out great!
My Heart Beets says
Patty, so happy to hear this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Elena says
OMG. This recipe is so good! I shared some with my friend and she asked me to please make more. Love it!
Heidi Fiscus says
Love this dish, it’s one of my favs!
Do the mustard greens add flavor or just texture?
Totally making this with butter chicken and naan!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Heidi! The mustard greens definitely add flavor too! Let me know what you think of the recipe 🙂
Heidi Fiscus says
It was awesome!
I used lacinato kale (dinosaur kale) for the mustard greens. I will try to find mustard greens to see how the flavor changes. I just used what I had on hand. Left out the serrano peppers too since my two-year-old was eating it too.
Totally making this dish weekly. It is easy, nutritious, and delicious. I actually liked the spaced out steps since I have two little ones. I also didn’t have to worry about it burning.
Alexis says
I have an enormous bag of baby kale in my fridge, but I can’t find any mustard greens right now… Any thoughts on subbing baby kale for the mustard greens?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Alexis, I’m sure it’ll be tasty but probably not quite as thick in texture. Let me know how it turns out if you try this!
megan says
Hi Ashley!
Cave Girl Eats posted a link to your butter chicken recipe (looks amazing!) and now I think I’m obsessed with your blog. I’m making a list of recipes to try right now!
This looks wonderful, but on step 3, I think there is a typo. Did you mean to say cook or cool?
Love the blog!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Megan, thanks so much for the awesome comment – so glad you love my blog! And, a big thanks for catching my typo 🙂 Definitely let me know what you think of any recipes that you try!
Melaine says
What about using baby kale in place of the mustard greens?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Melaine, I’m sure it’ll turn out well – just maybe not quite as thick. Let me know how you like it!
Michele says
I love saag! I can buy the huge tubs of spinach at Costco so I think I will try this will all spinach.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Michele, I’m not sure if you saw my note in the blog post about using just spinach – it will likely be much thinner if you don’t use mustard greens. Let me know how it turns out!
Heidi Hildebrandt says
My favourite! I use spinach and rapini in mine. It freezes well too.