This Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake is a quick and healthy, vegetarian dinner. Delicious crispy, salty cheese slices on top of a tasty tomato vegetable sauce, perfect for bread dunking!
On my weekly meal plan menu every week from now on: Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake.
Can we please just take a moment to appreciate the crunchy, golden, salty, gooey underneath, downright delicious gem that awaits you?
I first made this recipe months ago following an online recipe from one of the big supermarket chains. I’ve tweaked a bit, added courgettes, reduced the spices required and reduced the cooking time to make life a little easier.
Unusually for my site, this recipe is just for two people.
It’s super easy to double for four (or more), but I tend to reserve this for a late night cheese fest/bread dunking/wine drinking dinner as George is not a Halloumi fan (I KNOW – WHAT THE).
Here’s why you need this in your life:
✅ SQUEAKY CHEESE GOODNESS (I pretty much rest my case..)
✅ A veggie rich meal, for a dose of goodness and 3 of your 5 a day
✅ This reheats really well, great lunch leftovers to brighten up your day
How to make the Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake recipe:
Start by gently frying your onions and garlic.
When they’ve softened, add the other vegetables; courgette (zucchini) and aubergine (egg plant), spices (smoked paprika and ground cumin), allow to soften and become a little softer.
Add the tinned tomatoes, some water, tomato puree, honey and salt and pepper. Let everything bubble away with a lid on to soften.
Top tip! If you’re in a rush, this tomato ‘stew’ sauce part, only NEEDS 10 minutes to cook, but I try and give it a little longer if I have time, to get really thick and rich in flavour.
Pop your slices of halloumi cheese on top, brush or spray with oil and put under a hot grill to crisp on top.
Serve straight away with crusty bread and a sprinkle of herbs if you fancy. Cheese dreams right there my friends!
What to serve with the Vegetarian Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake:
- I love fresh crusty bread and butter (or olive oil) with this.
- A green salad, with lettuce and avocado also works well.
- Cooked cous cous, orzo or bulgar wheat would soak up the sauce and vegetables well.
Top tips for making the Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake:
- Cook the sauce for longer if you have time, not vital but it will be more rich.
- Add other vegetables if you prefer. You could try mushrooms, peas or broccoli.
- I like to let the grilled Halloumi cheese get really crispy and crunchy. You can cook remove it from the grill more quickly if you prefer it soft.
- This reheats surprisingly well, leftovers make a great meal prep type lunch.
Feeling cheesy? How about..
- Easy Courgette Fritters with Feta
- Puff Pastry Tart with Cheese and Tomatoes
- Butternut Squash Curry (add cubes of pan fried halloumi or paneer cheese, it’s yum)
Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make this Grilled Halloumi Bake recipe. Please rate the recipe and leave me a comment below if you do.
Also, if you fancy showing me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations and try and share as many of them as I can.
Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake
This Grilled Halloumi Cheese Bake is a quick and healthy, vegetarian dinner. Delicious crispy, salty cheese slices on top of a tasty tomato vegetable sauce, perfect for dunking!
- 1 tsp Olive oil (Plus extra for brushing)
- 1 Large Onion (Peeled and chopped into chunks)
- 3 Cloves Garlic (Peeled and crushed)
- 2 Medium Courgettes (Zucchini) (Chopped into chunks)
- 1 Large Aubergine (Egg plant) (Chopped into chunks)
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 400 g Tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 tsp Honey
- Salt and pepper
- 250 g Halloumi cheese
Optional
- Fresh parsley or basil to garnish
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Heat the oil in a large, lidded frying pan, add the onion and garlic and soften for 5 minutes.
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Add the courgettes, aubergine, cumin and smoked paprika and cook for a further 5 minutes until softened.
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Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, honey and salt and pepper. Half fill one of the empty tomato cans with water and splosh in too. Pop the lid on the pan and let everything cook down for about 10 minutes. (See notes below.)
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Preheat the grill to very hot.
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When the sauce had thickened and softened, cut the halloumi cheese into thin slices, place on top of the vegetable sauce and brush (or spray) with oil.
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Pop under the grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is crunchy and golden.
- 10 minutes is the minimum time to cook down the vegetable stew part of this recipe, if I have longer, I try to let it cook for up to 30 minutes. It’s not necessary, but it just makes it a bit richer in flavour.
- Try to use a good quality tomato puree, it will really add to the flavour of this dish.
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