This Paneer Naan Pizza came about after a trip to Costco the other day where I picked up some naan bread and paneer cheese.  I’ve never bought paneer before, let alone tasted it, so I thought I’d get some and figure out what to do with it later.  I searched the internet and there are lots of delicious sounding recipes!  I was intrigued by several recipes for Palak Paneer so I thought I’d make a flatbread pizza with the naan and paneer, and some of the ingredients found in Palak Paneer recipes.

According to Wikipedia, paneer is an  “unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese or curd cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or any other food acids.”  To me, it doesn’t have a lot of flavor.  It’s very firm and doesn’t melt. I think you could probably use paneer as a replacement for firm tofu even! 

I started off by browning cubed pieces of paneer in a little olive oil just to make sure it held it’s shape. Then I sautéed some diced onions with garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and spices.  Added the paneer back to the pan and tossed in a few handfuls of spinach.   I grilled a piece of naan on my stovetop grill pan to crisp it up since the bread was soft, then I topped the naan with the paneer/spinach mixture and tossed some diced tomatoes over the top.  Viola! Paneer Naan Pizza.

Wow! Doesn’t it look fantastically yummy? What a scrumptious creation!  I really, REALLY, liked it!!! Different. Tasty. Super easy to make. And, I’m quite sure Paneer Naan Pizza would be a perfect, unexpected appetizer for entertaining or a quick weeknight meal.

Paneer Naan Pizza

 

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Serves: 2 naan pizzas

Ingredients

• 2 pieces naan
• 2 C. cubed Paneer cheese
• 3 Tbls. Olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbls. butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, chopped (use ½ if you want less spice)
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 heaping tsp. coriander
• 1 heaping tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 big handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 tomato, diced (I used a few grape tomatoes)

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in sauté pan. Add paneer cubes and brown lightly. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. To the same pan, add another tablespoon olive oil and the butter. Add onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and cumin seeds. Sauté until onions start to soften. Add coriander and turmeric and sauté a bit more to combine and cook the spices.
3. Return paneer to pan, toss to coat the cubes with the mixture. Add spinach and toss again until it wilts.
4. Top grilled naan* with paneer/spinach mixture. Toss diced tomatoes on top and serve.
5. *I grilled the naan on my stovetop grill pan. If you have a gas stove, you could just carefully heat it up directly over the flame, or crisp them up in the oven. I also brushed a little more olive oil on the naan before adding the toppings.

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