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Vol. 26 · July 2026
A One-Pot Weeknight Journal Spice & Simmer Skillet · Stir-Fry · Sheet-Pan · Soup
Home › Recipes › Vegetarian › Matar Paneer
🥘 Skillet & One-Pan · Vegetarian · India

Matar Paneer

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026
Total time
42 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
27 min
Cleanup
1 pan
Matar Paneer

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with India flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 69 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat until it’s shimmering hot.
  2. Add the paneer, then turn the heat down a little.
  3. Fry until it starts to brown at the edges, then turn it over and brown on each side – the paneer will brown faster than you think, so don’t walk away.
  4. Remove the paneer from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
  5. Put the ginger, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander and chilli in the pan, and fry everything for 1 min.
  6. Add the tomatoes, mashing them with the back of a spoon and simmer everything for 5 mins until the sauce smells fragrant.
  7. Add a splash of water if it’s too thick.
  8. Season well.
  9. Add the peas and simmer for a further 2 mins, then stir in the paneer and sprinkle over the garam masala.
  10. Divide between two bowls, top with coriander leaves and serve with naan bread, roti or rice.

Why this works on a weeknight

Matar Paneer lands at about 42 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Matar Paneer actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian India Curry Vegetarian
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