Meatless Friday: Mozzarella Tikka Fauxsala

Monica Portogallo shares a recipe for a meatless dish inspired by Paneer Tikka Masala. Download our printable recipe card!

This recipe came to be the way my new recipes often start: I had too much of an ingredient I needed to use up. In this case, it was fresh mozzarella. While my kids would eat caprese salad with fresh mozzarella daily, I was ready for something else after the fourth day in a row.

When it occurred to me that fresh mozzarella was pretty close to paneer, I figured I would try making my favorite Indian dish, tikka masala, with it. Unfortunately, even my internet searches for “simple” and “easy” paneer tikka masala came up with recipes with five or more ingredients that I didn’t have. Determined to keep trying, and after a few more searches to find substitutes for the spices I didn’t have, I pieced together this recipe.

I have served it with naan, rice, and even over noodles once, and my kids gobbled it up each time.

null

Mozzarella Tikka Fauxsala

Ingredients

1 sweet onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 cup tomato sauce or tomato puree
⅓ cup water
¼ cup raw cashews
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup milk
12 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce, water, cashews, and spices. Simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then blend the sauce until smooth using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender.

Return the sauce to the saucepan (if not using an immersion blender), add the yogurt and milk, and heat over low heat until heated through. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly before stirring in the chopped mozzarella.

Did you try this recipe? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

null