Marry Me Halloumi
This is the most deliciously decadent vegetarian "marry me chicken" alternative you could imagine. Grilled or fried halloumi cheese is incredible paired with the famed creamy sundried tomato "marry me" sauce, and it's a perfectly easy meal served with rice or potatoes.
Ingredients
- olive oil (or, ideally, the oil from the sundried tomato jar), for cooking
- 8 oz (225 g) halloumi cheese, sliced widthways into 6 pieces
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ tsp red pepper or chili flakes, or to taste
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp Italian herbs / seasoning
- ⅓ cup (140 g) sundried tomatoes, chopped, see notes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste, see notes
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) vegetable broth
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy (double) cream
- ¾ cup (80 g) parmesan style cheese, grated
- 1 small bunch basil, chopped
- 1 handful baby spinach
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a large, deep saucepan with a lid, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or, ideally, the oil from the sundried tomato jar which has lots of flavor in it!) over a low-medium heat.Saute the onions until soft. Then add the garlic, chili or red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika and sundried tomatoes to the pan. Continue to saute for a few more minutes until everything is fragrant.1/2 red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper or chili flakes, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp Italian herbs / seasoning, 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, olive oil (or, ideally, the oil from the sundried tomato jar)
- Add the tomato paste and saute for another couple of minutes to bring out its maximum sweetness and flavor - add a little extra oil if needed, to stop it from sticking.2 tbsp tomato paste
- Pour in the broth and simmer, partially covered, while you cook the halloumi.2/3 cup vegetable broth
- Fry your halloumi - use a grill pan if possible, as the grill lines give nice visuals and texture. Brush a light coating of oil over the grill pan and heat to a medium heat. Place your halloumi slices in it. Cook for around 3 minutes on each side, until it’s browned and the lines have clearly appeared.8 oz halloumi cheese
- Once the halloumi is nearly finished cooking (once you've flipped it over in the pan is a good marker for this) get back to the sauce. Add the spinach and basil and mix through until wilted.1 handful baby spinach, 1 small bunch basil
- Add the cream and cheese, simmering over a very gentle heat until the cheese has melted in.2/3 cup heavy (double) cream, 3/4 cup parmesan style cheese
- Once the halloumi slices are done, add them to the sauce and serve immediately, with lemon wedges for squeezing.lemon wedges
Notes
Sundried tomatoes weight: If you are using weight to measure your sundried tomatoes, please note that 140g is measured as a proportion of the jar you're using. I used half of a 280g jar for this recipe (which is a pretty standard size in the UK). Don't scoop out the sundried tomatoes and weigh them - the weight is going to vary so much depending on how much oil sticks to them, the results won't be so consistent.
Tomato paste: is known as tomato puree in the UK.
Calories: 657kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 54g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 77mg, Sodium: 1638mg, Potassium: 707mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 2515IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 1129mg, Iron: 2mg