Halloumi Bowls with Chickpeas

These Halloumi Bowls with Chickpeas have golden pan-fried halloumi, chickpeas tossed in roasted red pepper sauce, rice, and lemony arugula. Altogether, they make a balanced, ultra flavourful bowl that is the perfect weeknight meal.

I love including balanced bowl recipes in my lineup of weeknight dinners. They are colourful, flavourful, and the possibilities for creativity are endless. I love my Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowls and the popular Barbecue Meatball Bowls, but I decided to create a new vegetarian bowl recipe for those who don’t eat meat. This halloumi bowl with chickpeas is what I came up with!

I tossed chickpeas with my Roasted Red Pepper Sauce for the base, then added rice, arugula with lemon dressing, and halloumi! Halloumi is the star of these bowls. It is salty, tangy cheese from Cyprus that doesn’t melt when cooked. Instead, it develops a delightful golden crust that makes it so very addictive! If you have never tried halloumi before, allow this to be your introduction to one of my favourite types of cheese.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions and Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Allison’s Top Tip
• FAQ
• More Healthy Bowl Recipes
• More Halloumi Recipes
• Halloumi Bowls with Chickpeas

Ingredients

Here is a list of ingredients that you’ll need for these bowls. Note that the roasted red pepper sauce recipe is in a different post, so you will need to make that first. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for exact quantities of each ingredient.

• Halloumi: You can find halloumi cheese in most well-stocked grocery stores. It is often in the specialty cheese section. You’ll pan-fry the halloumi in a bit of olive oil so that it develops that irresistible golden-brown exterior.
• Chickpeas: You’ll need some chickpeas. I usually aim for ½ cup of chickpeas per person. A 14-oz can of chickpeas contains 1 ½ cups of chickpeas, so depending on the number of people you’re serving, you can use one or two cans. You can also cook your own chickpeas, if desired.
• Roasted Red Pepper Sauce: My Roasted Red Pepper Sauce gets tossed with the chickpeas. Chickpeas, like other legumes, can be bland on their own, so it is essential to add some sauce or seasonings to them.
• Rice: I used cooked white rice, but you can use quinoa or brown rice if you prefer.
• Arugula: Or greens of choice. I made a simple lemon dressing that I tossed with the arugula. You can see my recipe in the notes section of the recipe card. Spinach or kale (raw or cooked) may also be used.

Instructions

1. Step 1: Toss the chickpeas with the roasted red pepper sauce. If desired, heat lightly in a saucepan.
2. Step 2: Slice the halloumi into ¼-inch slices.
3. Step 3: Cook the halloumi. Warm two teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I recommend a cast iron skillet. Once warm, add the sliced halloumi. Cook for 1-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy. Halloumi should be served warm, as it can get rubbery as it cools.
4. Step 4: Assemble the bowls. Divide rice, chickpeas, and arugula between bowls. Top with a few slices of halloumi. Serve!

Hint: Halloumi can get rubbery as it cools, so it is best to serve it immediately after it comes off of the pan. If needed, you can gently reheat it over low heat.

Substitutions and Variations

• Roasted Red Pepper Sauce – instead of roasted red pepper sauce, you can make these Buffalo Chickpeas or the Moroccan Chickpeas and Tahini Sauce from this recipe.
• Rice – White rice can be replaced with brown rice or quinoa.
• Halloumi: If you don’t want to cook halloumi, use crumbled or cubed feta cheese instead.
• Vegan – omit the halloumi or try making vegan halloumi.
• Hot Honey Halloumi Bowls: Drizzle your bowl with hot honey for an incredible pop of spicy-sweet flavour.

Equipment

I recommend a cast iron skillet for cooking the halloumi. I have tried cooking halloumi in a regular stainless steel skillet and it does not brown as well and it tends to stick to the pan.

Storage

You can store all of the separate components of these bowls in the fridge for up to four days. Do not add the lemon dressing to the arugula until right before serving because the arugula will get soggy.

I do not recommend cooking the halloumi ahead of time because it gets hard and rubbery the longer it sits after cooking. If you would like to cook it ahead of time, you can gently reheat it over low heat before serving.

FAQ

More Healthy Bowl Recipes

Looking for more balanced bowl recipes for lunch or dinner? Try these:

More Halloumi Recipes

I love halloumi! If you’re looking for more ways to use halloumi, try these recipes next:

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