Mediterranean Tomato and Halloumi Bake

Name: Mediterranean Tomato and Halloumi Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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 (See notes); 1 tbsp Tomato puree (See notes); 1 tsp Honey; Salt and pepper; 250 g Halloumi cheese; Fresh parsley or basil to garnish

This Mediterranean Tomato and Halloumi Bake has a rich, gooey sauce topped with the salty cheese. It’s a quick and healthy vegetarian family meal that’s sure to become a go-to favourite when you need a speedy one-pot heartwarmer.

Halloumi Cheese recipe with vegetables in a pan.

Please let’s just take a moment to appreciate what this veggie recipe brings us – the crunchy, salty, golden halloumi cheese on top of a good-for-the-soul Mediterranean-style tomato vegetable sauce.

We love halloumi and eat it lots in vegetarian dishes. The best thing is, this recipe is all chucked in one pot before being stuck under the grill for 5 minutes to get that crispy texture, making it an easy peasy midweek winner.

Why you’ll love this Baked Halloumi recipe

⭐️ It’s packed full of goodness (3 of your 5 a day)

⭐️ It’s delicious, comforting, inexpensive and easy

⭐️ Reheats well for a leftovers lunchtime treat!

Cheese and vegetable bake recipe sprinkled with herbs.

How we came up with this recipe

You know I love a simple one pot recipe AND you know I love recipes with halloumi cheese.

I wanted to create a Med-inspired dish that has all the light and fresh flavours that we need while still managing to be utterly hearty and rich.

It’s packed with colourful vegetables and what I love about this is that you can enjoy this as a low carb dinner, a hot lunch or you can pair it with a side dish of choice.

Unlike most of my recipes, this Halloumi Bake is for 2 people, so don’t forget to adjust the servings tab if you’re feeding more. (A few more veggies, another tin of tomatoes and an extra pack of halloumi should do the trick.)

Serving suggestions for this dish…

Comfort Food

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Side Dishes

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Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Jacket Potatoes {Easiest Ever Recipe!}

Side Dishes

Quick Cucumber Salad {with Yoghurt Dressing}

Halloumi Bake Ingredients Notes

Olive oil – This will be for frying the veggie and you’ll need some for brushing on the halloumi to get that nice brown finish
Veggies – I use courgettes, aubergine, garlic and onion in mine but feel free to add more
Spices – Cumin and smoked paprika will you that rich, delicious flavour
Tomatoey sauce – This is made up of tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. Try buying good quality here as it’ll make all the difference to the depth of flavour in the sauce
Halloumi – Use a block and slice it up for the top
Honey – This offsets the saltiness of the dish and gives a nice slight sweet edge

How to make Halloumi Bake

Chopped vgetables and spices in a pan, ready to cook Mediterranean Halloumi Bake.

1. Fry the onions and garlic in hot oil and add the vegetables and spices for another 5 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, puree, honey and season well, plus water. Simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid on.

Spoon lifting grilled halloumi piece from cooked vegetable halloumi bake.

2. Slice the halloumi cheese, then place on top of the sauce and brush with oil. Pop it under a preheated grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is crunchy and golden.

Substitutions

Vegetables – This rich sauce lends itself well to the courgettes and aubergine I put in, and it really does have that Mediterranean taste, but feel free to add anything you prefer. Mushrooms, peppers, peas or broccoli are tasty alternatives

Leftovers

In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. This reheats surprisingly well and the leftovers make a great lunch.

In the freezer You could freeze this but it won’t be at its best when defrosted and reheated (it will be a little mushy).

That said, it’s worth freezing instead of going to waste. Reheat thoroughly once defrosted.

Top tipS

Cooking time

Ten minutes is the minimum time to cook down the vegetable stew part of this recipe, but 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.

Halloumi consistency

I like to let the grilled halloumi cheese get really crispy and crunchy. You can grill it for less time if you prefer it soft though.

More recipes with halloumi cheese…

Under 15 minutes

Halloumi Burger {15 Minute Recipe}

Under 15 minutes

Halloumi Fajitas {15 Minute Meal}

Under 30 minutes

Peanut Butter Noodles with Halloumi {Satay-Style Stir Fry}

Vegetarian

Halloumi Curry {30 Minute Meal}

FAQs

Is this a vegan recipe?

No, halloumi is made from sheep’s milk, but you can buy vegan halloumi cheese as an alternative.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).