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Grilled or fried halloumi cheese with basil and cannellini hummus and grilled lemons - Diversivore.com
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Grilled Halloumi with Basil Cannellini Hummus

Just a few minutes of cooking (mostly on the grill) and you're rewarded with this amazing vegetarian meze dish with halloumi, tangy lemons, and a unique hummus.
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword bean hummus, grilled lemons, hummus variation, hummus with beans, vegetarian grilling recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 10 people
Calories 357kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 medium shallots sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 450 g cannellini beans (canned, or homemade if you have time)
  • 30 g basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Halloumi, and Serving

  • 500 g halloumi
  • 2 lemons
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • bread to serve (optional)
  • paprika to serve (optional)
  • fresh oregano to serve (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes, then set aside.
  • In a food processor or blender, combine the sauteed shallots and garlic with the cannellini beans, basil, dried oregano, and salt. Puree the mixture until it reaches a fairly thick, chunky consistency. Add the remaining olive oil a little at a time and continue to blend. Once the mixture is well-combined and even, check the taste and adjust the salt content a little if you like. Not that the cheese is fairly salty, so I prefer to use less salt in the hummus.
  • Preheat and indoor or outdoor grill to medium heat. To ensure that the halloumi doesn't stick, you can brush a little extra oil on the surface. (See note below about pan-frying the halloumi instead).
  • Cut the halloumi into large pieces, about 1 cm thick, and brush all over with olive oil.
  • Cut the lemons into thick slices and brush with a little olive oil.
  • Place the halloumi and the lemons on the preheated grill. Cook the halloumi long enough to leave grill marks and to give the surface a bit of a crispy golden appearance (if you pan-fry the halloumi it will be golden all over); about 2 minutes per side. Cook the lemons until darkened and golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  • Place the bread on the grill to toast. It will go quickly, so keep an eye on it. Once one side is toasted, flip and toast the other side, then remove from heat.
  • Sprinkle the hummus with a little paprika and an extra drizzle of oil. Cut the halloumi into bite-sized strips and serve with the hummus, grilled lemons, and (if you like) pita, baguette, or crackers. If you're looking for a gluten or carb-free alternative, you could serve it with cucumber slices.

Notes

If you don't have a grill, or you don't want to grill this, halloumi cooks very nicely in a pan too - in fact, the pictures show halloumi that was finished in a pan (mainly because I had some grill issues). Simply heat a little olive oil in a medium pan and add the halloumi. Cook until golden brown, then flip and repeat with the other side. The lemons can be cooked in a pan in a similar fashion.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 910mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.3mg