Baked halloumi is a flavorful one pot dish that you can serve as a side dish or entree for lunch, dinner or even breakfast. An excellent vegetarian dish with Mediterranean flavors.
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Why you'll love it
- Amazing Mediterranean flavors
- Easy to customize to suit your preferences
- Excellent vegetarian entree or side dish
- Kid friendly
- A great dish to use up summer vegetables
Ingredients
Halloumi cheese: Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese with a high melting point. This means that when you warm it up, it will become soft rather than melted. Halloumi is essential in this recipe, and cannot be substituted.
Canned diced tomatoes: This is the base of the sauce. You can use canned cherry tomatoes, canned plum tomatoes or Healthy Spaghetti Sauce instead.
Seasoning: Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, dried parsley, dried oregano and dried basil adds flavor to the dish.
Olives + artichoke hearts: Adds flavor to the dish. Omit these if you don't like them.
Garlic + onion: Adds plenty of great flavor. Use garlic paste for convenience.
White beans: I use butter beans, but cannellini beans, chickpeas or even baked beans will work great. This adds texture and protein to the dish.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
Sauté diced onion and garlic in a pan until translucent. Add the seasoning, and cook for another minute.
Add diced tomatoes to the pan, and leave the sauce to simmer for a few minutes. Then, add olives, artichokes and butter beans.
Finally, place sliced halloumi cheese on top of the tomato based sauce. If you are using an oven safe dish, you can transfer it directly to your oven. If not, pour the sauce into a suitable dish.
Bake the halloumi at 400 °F / 200 °C for about 15 minutes, or until the halloumi is warm and slightly golden on the top. Remove it from the oven, and serve.
Top tips
- Any ingredients can be omitted from or added to the sauce.
- If you're using sour, low quality tomatoes, you should add some sugar to the sauce to improve the flavor.
- Use a pan that's suitable for the stove top and oven, like a cast iron pan. This way, you don't have to use two different containers!
Serving suggestions
Baked halloumi is perfect to serve as a side dish or main course. You can pair it with a variety of sides or entrees to make a delicious lunch or dinner, or enjoy it as a one pan breakfast. Here are some of my favorite recipes to make with it:
- Side dishes: Air Fryer Garlic Bread, Dill Rice, Instant Pot Green Beans
- Entrees: Baked Chicken Leg Quarters, Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast
Variations
With vegetables: Add diced vegetables to the sauce, like cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini or peppers.
Spicy baked halloumi: Make the dish spicy by adding red pepper flakes, chili powder or diced chili. Add your chili along with the onion and garlic.
Add eggs: Add cracked eggs to the top of the dish, along with the halloumi. This halloumi shakshuka will be a lot more filling, and a great alternative for brunch or lunch.
Leftovers
Store leftover baked halloumi for up to 4 days in a refrigerator. You can reheat it in a microwave or oven for a few minutes, and then serve it warm.
The dish can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw and defrost it in your refrigerator overnight before reheating it.
Frequently asked questions
No, you don't have to cook halloumi. The cheese is perfectly safe to eat uncooked, but it tastes much better when you cook it.
Halloumi cheese can be cooked in the oven, in a skillet, in an air fryer or any other appliance.
You might also like these recipes
- Halloumi Burgers
- Halloumi Fajitas
- Chickpea and Halloumi Curry
- Halloumi Pasta
- Halloumi Stir Fry
- Air Fryer Halloumi Fries
- Halloumi and Butternut Squash Salad
If you make any of these recipes, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy! Follow Hint of Healthy on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more healthy recipes.
Recipe
Baked Halloumi
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces halloumi
- 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- ½ cup olives
- 1 cup canned artichokes
- 1 (15 oz) can butter beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and garlic. Drain and rinse canned and jarred olives, artichokes and butter beans.
- Preheat your oven to 400 °F / 200 °C.
- Sauté diced onion and garlic in a pan until translucent. Add the seasoning, and cook for another minute.
- Add diced tomatoes to the pan, and leave the sauce to simmer for a few minutes. Then, add olives, artichokes and butter beans.
- Finally, place sliced halloumi cheese on top of the tomato based sauce. If you are using an oven safe dish, you can transfer it directly to your oven. If not, pour the sauce into a suitable dish.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the halloumi is warm, soft and lightly golden.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat before serving.
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