Trader Joe’s Palak paneer is a frozen meal that heats up in just a few minutes and, according to the packaging, is based on an authentic Indian recipe.
The dish features large chunks of fresh Paneer cheese in a creamy bed of perfectly seasoned spinach.
Nutrition and Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this frozen meal.
Nutrition Facts
You get one tray of Palak Paneer per 10 ounce package. The full tray is considered two servings.
You are going to eat the whole tray (the package is not resealable) so I am giving you the nutrition facts two servings:
- Calories: 410
- Fat: 31g (40% DV)
- Cholesterol: 35mg (12% DV)
- Sodium: 1010mg (44% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 17g (6% DV)
- Protein: 2og
From a nutrition standpoint the dish is moderately healthy. This is a HUGE serving of food that is just over 400 calories. The fat and sodium content is higher than I prefer.
Ingredient List
The Palak Paneer has the following ingredients:
- Spinach
- Paneer cheese
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Canola oil
- Broccoli
- Cream
- Water
- “Spices”
- Tomato puree
- Instant non-fat dry milk
- Garlic
- Salt
- Green chili peppers
- Chickpea flour
- Sugar
- Turmeric
- Ghee
- Fenugreek leaves
I was surprised to see broccoli as an ingredient in here but it makes sense and obviously works!
Heating and Serving
Here is how I heated the dish before it became my lunch 🙂
Heating Instructions
The heating instructions for this product are:
- Remove the tray from the box.
- Puncture the film with multiple holes for venting.
- Microwave on High for three minutes.
- Let the meal stand for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the film.
- Serve.
Taste Test!
Do you ever get the feeling that sometimes companies are messing with your head just for entertainment?
I do.
This dish was incredible and fell just short of perfection for a very simple reason that was absolutely by design.
Let’s start with what makes this Palak Paneer so great:
- Creamy Spinach
- Lots of Paneer
- Perfectly Seasoned
The spinach has been simmered until the texture is almost pure cream. This is in stark contrast from Saffron Bay’s Palak Paneer where the spinach was chunky and slightly raw.
I got a big chunk of Paneer cheese in every single spoonful of this meal. Seriously, this dish is loaded with delicious chunks of cheese.
The seasoning was spot on perfect. Extremely flavorful with just the slightest hint of spicy heat.
The ONLY problem with Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer
The packaging says that you could serve this with basmati rice for a wonderful meal and they are correct.
So why in the heck didn’t they do it??????
When I ate the following Trader Joe’s frozen Indian meals they all came with 1 serving of the main dish and 1 serving of basmati rice:
- Lamb Vindaloo
- Fiery Chicken Curry
- Vegan Tikka Masala
Trader Joe’s knows that these meals are much better when they come with rice. So why in the world did they decide to skip the rice on this meal and instead give you so much of the main dish that you will struggle to finish it all?
Okay, that is enough of that rant.
This meal only cost $3.29 and was worth every penny. I will absolutely buy this again.
Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer is one of my favorite dishes! Yet I can’t believe that people are commenting that it is lacking because there is no rice! I make my own rice – for which I use only Thai Fragrant Rice – and I absolutely love the dish with both the rice – and with plenty of mango chutney!!! There is enough for 2 filling meals! And frankly I prefer to have a larger quantity of the main course, which I am not able to prepare myself! Rather than half of the quantity with the rest of the space taken up with rice!
I agree….I make my own rice and split the pkg. in half for two meals. That being said, I totally understand if you are not somewhere to make the rice, it’s a negative!
I am addicted to TJ’s Palak Paneer
I bought the one from Sprouts by Deep and it came with rice and was $6.49! Holy moly!
Same size as TJ’s but half the paneer to make room for rice. Nahhhhh.
Palak Paneer is discontinued by TJ’s.
Why??? It’a so popular! Are you sure it’s been discontinued?
I’m addicted to TJ’S Palak Paneer but my local store has been out of stoc since early Feb. At the time they said it would be back by March, but it’s now April and still not in stock. Amazon apparently sold it in 4-packs, but it, too, is marked unavailable. Searched web but can’t find out why. I’m crushed – devastated – hungry
Palak Paneer is in stock at my local TJs. For some reason, though, it tastes saltier and definitely spicier (hotter) than I remembered eating the last time from here. The spicy heat level overwhelms the dish, in my humble opinion. Getting this from an authentic Indian restaurant is
DTHE BEST – LOVE that stuff !
Where is the palak paneer! It’s my favorite but it’s been unavailable for months! Please bring it back!
Added rice would mean less of the spinach and cheese! I don’t want my money spent on rice, which I can make easily. Other paneer dishes on the market are filled with rice and therefore contain much less spinach and cheese. TJ’s Palak Paneer contains only spinach and cheese, making it a great value.
As others have noted, the lack of rice is definitely a selling point, not a flaw. Rice is cheap and easy to make. If you need speed and convenience you still have the option of pairing it with some microwaveable rice.
I sometimes get palak peener frozen meals from Walmart (TJ is on the other side of town) and while the taste is fine (unfortunately not as spicy as TJ’s), the rice is such a waste of space and value, I’m always mildly disappointed whenever I eat one.
Does anyone know if this has gluten? It appears from the ingredients that its safe, but Just wondering if anyone has an intel. Merci.