Halloumi with Spicy Eggplant (Aubergine)
Sweet and spicy roasted eggplant, peppers and chickpeas with fried halloumi and a tahini drizzle! The combination of charred melt in the mouth veggies and crispy fried cheese will definitely win you over in this vegetarian dish! Easy to make, just 10 ingredients and it can be ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium eggplant / aubergine, cut into small cubes
- 1 sweet or bell pepper, sliced into rings or strips
- 400 g (14 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves
- 225 g (8 oz) halloumi cheese, sliced
Harissa Honey Glaze
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp harissa, use less if you don't want it too spicy
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Tahini Sauce
- 4 tbsp tahini
- ½ lemon, juiced - save the other half of the lemon for serving
- ½ tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the harissa honey glaze ingredients until a smooth sauce is formed.2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp harissa, 1 tbsp honey, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the eggplant cubes and mix to coat each cube with the mixture and then scatter on a large baking tray, making sure to space the cubes out a little. (When you're pouring the eggplant out of the bowl, be mindful to keep any excess marinade in the bowl if you can. It's OK if there isn't any excess, but if there is, we can use it for the rest of the ingredients.)1 small-medium eggplant / aubergine
- In the same bowl, toss the peppers with any remaining glaze. If there's not enough to coat the peppers, just add a little olive oil to the bowl.1 sweet or bell pepper
- Add the peppers to the baking dish with the eggplant. Place on the top shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes, until they've reduced in size and charred at the edges.
- Once you've put that tray in the oven, you'll prepare the chickpeas for roasting. Drain, pat dry, and then add to the same bowl that had the marinade in it. Toss with a little olive oil (just enough to coat the chickpeas) and salt and pepper to taste, then scatter the chickpeas on another baking tray. Add to the lower shelf of the oven. The chickpeas can roast for the remaining cook time of the eggplant and peppers.400 g can of chickpeas
- While everything is roasting, prepare the tahini sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Get your halloumi prepped and ready to fry.4 tbsp tahini, 1/2 tsp honey, 1/2 lemon
- Once the eggplant, peppers and chickpeas look like they are close to being ready, get the halloumi frying. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden.225 g halloumi cheese
- Assemble! Mix the eggplant, pepper and chickpeas in a serving dish and top with the fried halloumi slices. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.
- Add the cilantro (coriander) leaves and tahini drizzle. Serve immediately.1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves
Calories: 557kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Sodium: 792mg, Potassium: 726mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 1053IU, Vitamin C: 46mg, Calcium: 650mg, Iron: 4mg