Let’s make a tasty handheld dinner that can cook on one sheet pan!
This is the kind of meal that is greater than the sum of its parts and feels like it should have been more effort than it actually was. Just a little light chopping and mixing involved here, especially if, like me, you use ready made tzatziki (because grating cucumbers doesn’t sound like a great time if we’re honest). Similar to my fave sheet pan fajitas, we get a really nice deep flavor on our halloumi and peppers by using the oven, leaving our hands free to prep toppings while they cook. It is a winning strategy for home cooking.
This was inspired by Pinch of Yum’s Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas and if you know me at all, you’ll know that I love to turn chicken recipes into halloumi cheese recipes so here we are, stuffing our pitas with crispy slices of seasoned halloumi instead. It is super satisfying – flexible too! Stuff the ingredients into pita pockets, fold them up into a pita wrap (my preference), or serve the ingredients in a bowl with the pita alongside. You could even turn this into a bowl recipe by swapping the pitas for a layer of rice.
Top Tips for Halloumi Pitas
- The size of your pita bread will determine how many pitas you’ll get from this recipe. My pitas are fairly small, so I would generally make six from this batch.
- I am using ready made tzatziki because I have a brand that I love – if you want to DIY it, try this tzatziki recipe or if you need something simpler, you can just use the lemon garlic yogurt from this recipe. Either way, you definitely do need a creamy cooling sauce of some kind for the moisture it brings.
- I make a very simple tomato onion salad as another topping using cherry tomatoes, but you could dice up larger tomatoes instead if you need to.
- I also make a quick homemade seasoning for the halloumi using smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, mint and oregano. If there’s a premade seasoning you like that has smoky deep flavors, feel free to swap that in.
Are you as obsessed with sheet pan meals as I am? Be sure to check out Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Lentils, Sheet Pan Halloumi Dinner, Sheet Pan Cauliflower Tacos or Sheet Pan Veggie Fajitas for some other stress free dinners.
Halloumi Pitas
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 3 medium bell peppers, sliced into strips
- 2 tsps balsamic vinegar
- 225 g (8 oz) halloumi cheese, sliced into 6-8 slices
- 200 g (¾ cup) tzatziki
- 10 kalamata or green olives, halved
- 4-6 pita pockets or flatbreads
Tomato Salad
- 2 tbsp finely diced red onion
- 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ tsp red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Halloumi Seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp mint
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430F / 220C / 200C Fan.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the peppers with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Scatter onto a baking tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- In the same mixing bowl, add the halloumi, the seasoning, and enough olive oil to get every piece lightly coated. Remove the pan of peppers from the oven and push them to one side to make space for the halloumi. Add the halloumi slices, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your tomato salad by adding all of the ingredients to a bowl and giving them a good mix.
- Warm your pita breads by placing them on a dry pan, or wrapping them in foil and placing in the oven for the last 5 minutes of cook time.
- Check in on the pan of peppers and halloumi. You want your peppers to be soft, melted and lightly browned around the edges and your halloumi to be a little bit crisp. You might need another 5 minutes or so.
- Serve! Scoop the peppers and halloumi into pita bread and top with the tomato salad, olives and tzatziki.
