Halloumi and white beans baked in a rich, smoky, Spanish inspired tomato sauce! This is a simple but stunning one pot vegetarian meal that is on the table in just 30 minutes. With lots of different serving suggestions, you will never tire of making this amazing halloumi bake for dinner.
We had a pretty good run of fresh tomato recipes here on HVK this summer, didn’t we? But as we head into winter, we’re back to the tinned tomatoes.
This does not have to be a sad thing! Because rich, juicy tinned or jarred tomatoes are a joy to behold as well.
And in this recipe, we are transforming them into a beautiful smoky sauce to house some creamy white beans and our favorite salty, squeaky cheese halloumi.
The joys of baked halloumi
Baked halloumi stays more moist, which works really well in some recipes. I always used to fry or grill it to get it super crispy, but now I am thoroughly enjoying preparing it this way from time to time.
In this recipe we’re going to brown it on the top so that there is still some familiar crisp, but beneath that we have our deliciously juicy slabs of halloumi sitting in a rich, smoky sauce and, well, I challenge you not to fall head over heels for it.
The Smoky Spanish Tomato Sauce
High quality tinned plum tomatoes are helpful in making this sauce as delicious as can be. The flavoring is Spanish inspired, with lots of garlic and smoked paprika. You can give it a spicy kick, or not, with the addition of chili flakes. The heat level is yours to decide upon.
I make it pretty mild, because my tastebuds are a little wimpy when it comes to heat.
And it’s a 30 Minute + One Pot Meal!
Oh I’ve saved the best part for last… This is an extremely easy weeknight meal.
30 minutes, and everything cooks in one pot. Use a shallow casserole dish that you can use on both the stovetop and in the oven, and you’re good to go.
You simply prepare your sauce in the pan…
And then you add your beans and halloumi, and put it all in the oven.
You’ll bake it, and then broil / grill it at the end to get the halloumi browned.
Ta da!
How to serve your Halloumi Bake
- To keep this as simple as possible, and not use any more pots, get yourself a mound of pita bread or a fresh baked baguette, and just dig right in. It’s going to be great.
- It would be amazing atop a baked sweet potato or slices of sweet potato toast.
- I also like to serve it with rice or couscous.
- If you’re avoiding carbs, you could spoon it over zucchini noodles or cauliflower mash.
- If you want to add some greens, throw some spinach into the sauce just before adding the halloumi. It’s always a nice addition.
Can I use less halloumi?
There are two blocks of halloumi in this dish, and while halloumi is super easy to find and affordable here in London, I am conscious that a meal using two entire packages of it could be cost prohibitive elsewhere.
So yes. Feel free free to use just one package of halloumi. You will just need to bulk out the pan in another way, the most simple idea being to add another can of white beans.
Love halloumi recipes? Don’t go without checking out these other Happy Veggie Kitchen faves:
Ready to cook? Prepare to meet your new favorite dinner…
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Halloumi and white beans baked in a rich, smoky, Spanish inspired tomato sauce! This is a simple but stunning one pot vegetarian meal that is on the table in just 30 minutes. With lots of different serving suggestions, you will never tire of making this amazing halloumi bake for dinner.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- A few pinches of chili flakes, to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 400g (14oz) tin of white beans (I used butter beans, but cannellini beans or chickpeas work well too)
- 800g (28oz) of whole plum tinned tomatoes (that’s two normal sized tins)
- 500g (8.8oz) of halloumi cheese, sliced lengthways and then widthways into slabs
- Parsley or coriander, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F. In a shallow casserole dish, heat some olive oil and gently saute your sliced garlic until it’s starting to brown.
Add the smoked paprika and oregano and stir for a moment until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, sugar and red wine vinegar.
Stir the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse the butter beans, then add to the sauce.
Remove from the heat and arrange the halloumi on top of the sauce.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes until bubbling. If you want to get the halloumi browned on top, turn on the grill / broiler for the last 5 minutes.
Keywords: halloumi bake, tomato halloumi bake
Yasssss! Baked halloumi is always a good idea. Well, halloumi is always a good idea baked or not, really. But I love it so much paired with the beans and the smoky tomato sauce. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Squeaky cheese and smoked paprika? Pretty much all of my favorite things in one dish! Love how easy and adaptable this recipe is!
★★★★★
Christine, I love your recipes and have tried quite a few of them. Did this one today – it was yummy, but I do have a few questions/issues/comments.
First, the ingredient list says ‘whole plum tomatoes’ but the instructions say ‘chopped tomatoes’. Does this just mean that you chop the whole tomatoes? Instructions also say to add sugar, but there is no sugar in the ingredient list (I guessed and added just a pinch).
The timings were also confusing, leading to a delayed meal. I believed it when you said 20 minutes cooking, but according to the instructions it was 20 minutes to simmer the sauce. So the cooking time as stated didn’t include sautéing the garlic and spices etc. which was at least 10 minutes more. I should have read the recipe more closely before I started.
I was cooking for 2, so I halved most of the ingredients – 1 tin tomatoes, 1 packet halloumi etc. But I put in a whole can of beans and am glad I did – I think it would have been very skimpy otherwise.
I’ll definitely make it again – great flavours, and very simple. I never met a halloumi I didn’t like!
★★★★