Got 30 minutes and zero motivation to follow a precise recipe? Well, I think I’ve got you covered here. Let’s make some bowls.
Why this is my favorite way to make a vegetarian burger bowl
Sure, you can pull up any burger bowl recipe and just throw in a vegetarian burger patty and call it a day (and it would be delish). But ultimately, halloumi burgers are my VIP of the vegetarian burger world so when I set out to make a deconstructed burger bowl, halloumi was the natural choice.
I have kept these halloumi bowls very classic burger themed with pickles, burger sauce, and the usual salad stuff, including avocado, as many halloumi burgers do. But halloumi burgers show up in many forms; likewise, these bowls can flex. Sometimes there is hummus, sometimes there is a mushroom, sometimes there is sweet chili sauce or truffle mayo. You can go any way you like here.
This can be an easy 30 minute dinner, but to make that happen, I have embraced the shortcuts of using frozen fries and premade burger sauce. If you want to make everything from scratch, there are tips in the next section.
What to Know About the Ingredients & Substitutions
- A block of halloumi cheese is our starting point, which I cut into 4 square “burgers”. Each bowl has two burgers, but you can just do one if you prefer to lighten the recipe up a little. If you want to swap in another non-melting cheese such as paneer, farmers cheese or bread cheese – go for it! Just adapt the shape of your patties to the size and shape of your block.
- I use a premade burger sauce but if you want to make your own, try this DIY burger sauce recipe. If you’d rather use something else entirely, this harissa ranch dressing would be fun.
- I use frozen waffle fries here. I like that waffle fries hold up well in a bowl and often come seasoned. If you want to DIY the fries, you could try these air fryer fries or these air fryer potato wedges (just ignore the toppings / seasonings in those recipes). Sweet potato fries would be a great swap too.
- If you really can’t with the pickles / gherkins, try adding olives instead.
More Fun Ways to Replace Meat with Halloumi
Halloumi Burger Bowls
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) block of halloumi cheese, cut once lengthways and once widthways to make four "burgers"
- 1 head romaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 7 oz (200 g) frozen fries or waffle fries
- 2-3 vine tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 rings red onion , thinly sliced
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 6 slices pickles (aka gherkin), or more, to taste
- ¼ cup burger sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
- First, get your fries cooking in the oven or air fryer according to package instructions. Everything else can be pulled together while they cook (unless you are using skinny fries with a very short cook time!)
- Chop the lettuce, onion, tomato and avocado and arrange it in the bowl, leaving space for the fries on one side.
- When the fries are 5 minutes away from being done, fry the halloumi. Heat up a small layer of oil in a frying pan or grill pan, at a medium-high heat. Cook the halloumi for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden.
- Add the fries to the bowls, then place the halloumi on top of the lettuce. Scatter the pickle slices over the top, drizzle with burger sauce, and serve!
