Jewelled Haloumi With Spiced Vegetables (Printable)
Golden haloumi with spiced roasted vegetables, pomegranate seeds, pistachios, and fresh herbs create a vibrant vegetarian centerpiece.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 1 medium eggplant, diced into 1-inch pieces
03 - 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
04 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
05 - 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
06 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1 teaspoon ground coriander
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ Haloumi and Garnish
12 - 9 oz haloumi cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slabs
13 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
14 - 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
15 - 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios, roughly chopped
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Optional Serving
19 - Greek yogurt or tahini sauce for serving
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potato, eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion. Add olive oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly until vegetables are evenly coated with spices.
03 - Spread seasoned vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until vegetables are golden and tender.
04 - While vegetables roast, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add haloumi slices and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and slightly crispy.
05 - Transfer roasted vegetables to a serving platter. Arrange fried haloumi slices on top of the vegetables.
06 - Scatter pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios, mint, parsley, and lemon zest evenly over the entire dish.
07 - Serve immediately while warm, with Greek yogurt or tahini sauce on the side if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sweet and salty combination creates restaurant worthy flavor with minimal effort
- Its one of those dishes that looks incredibly impressive but requires almost no active cooking time
02 -
- Haloumi can release a lot of liquid when frying, so pat the slices dry before cooking for better browning
- The vegetables continue cooking after they leave the oven, so pull them out when they are slightly less done than you want them
03 -
- Room temperature vegetables roast more evenly than cold ones straight from the refrigerator
- Letting the roasted vegetables sit for 5 minutes before serving allows the flavors to meld and intensify