This halloumi couscous recipe is THE MOST popular recipe on the blog! In this vegetarian dinner recipe, we’ve combined roast carrots, chickpeas, kale and giant couscous together with crispy, pan-fried halloumi. The couscous chickpea salad is flavoured with orange and cumin as well as a handful of fresh coriander. It is a hearty, nutritious meal that is full of flavour and a great weeknight dinner recipe!
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- Halloumi Couscous Nutrition
- Halloumi Couscous Ingredients
- Halloumi Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Carrots FAQ
- Over on Instagram…
- Other vegetarian dinner recipes you might enjoy
- How to Make Halloumi Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Carrots
Halloumi couscous my guys. Halloumi couscous. With chickpeas. With roasted carrots. With kale. With orange and cumin. You best believe we are packing in all the good stuff in this one.
This is without a doubt the most popular recipe on the blog. Hailed as ‘delicious’, ‘yummmm’ and ’10/10′ over social media, you guys absolutely love it. And for good reason! We’re talking crisp, pan-fried halloumi, roasted chickpeas and roasted carrots, kale and pearl couscous, all flavoured with cumin, orange and fresh coriander. Not only is the vegetarian dinner recipe tasty AF, but it’s also packed with nutritious ingredients too!
Just when you think cheese can’t get any better, you discover halloumi. It brings a whole new and delicious meaning to the phrase ‘grilled cheese’. It is 100% necessary to eat it immediately from the pan so you can truly enjoy its crispy surface and gooey centre. You may lose a layer of skin from the roof of your mouth in the process but it’s a sacrifice worth making, I promise.
With so many of us trying to eat a little less meat these days, halloumi is the perfect meat substitute. It delivers those savoury, salty umami flavours, it’s got a great chewy texture and is packed with protein. You won’t even miss the fact this recipe is completely meat-free!
The carrots in this dish are roasted with cumin seeds to start, and then a little orange juice later on when you also add in the chickpeas. Roasting like this gives you delicious, fragrant caramelisation on your veggies that is SO GOOD. Combined with the orangey couscous this whole dish is full of fresh flavours that complement and contrast with the salty halloumi.
Halloumi Couscous Nutrition
Within this halloumi couscous recipe, we have a good balance of nutritional ingredients.
Halloumi is a fantastic source of protein and calcium. Protein is a macronutrient that is essential for growth and repair in the body, as well as many other bodily functions. Calcium is essential for a number of different bodily functions, notably the building of strong teeth and bones and maintaining a healthy nervous system. Halloumi contains 7 grams of protein per 28-gram serving and provides 25% of your daily calcium requirement.
However, it should be noted that halloumi is high in sodium and saturated fat. High intakes of sodium (salt) can increase blood pressure, while saturated fat can increase the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood. All in all, it is best to enjoy halloumi in moderation as part of a balanced diet!
Chickpeas are a fantastic source of plant-based protein, fibre and healthy fats, while also providing use with folate and iron, micronutrients that are both important for the formation of healthy red blood cells.
Carrots are a great source of beta-carotene, which is turned into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is important for the health of our immune system, eyesight and skin. Meanwhile, kale provides us with vitamin K, C, A, B6 and folate as well as a good dose of fibre.
Couscous is made from durum wheat semolina and is a fantastic source of selenium. Selenium is essential for a healthy thyroid and a healthy immune system while also decreasing inflammation and helping the body repair damaged cells.
Halloumi Couscous Ingredients
Halloumi – Halloumi is a semi-hard, brined cheese with a high melting point. Because of this, it is perfect for pan-frying, giving it a crispy outer edge while remaining soft in the middle. If you weren’t able to get your hands on halloumi, paneer is a similar texture which will yield similar results when fried. However paneer is not brined like halloumi, so it does give a less salty flavour.
Carrots – In this recipe, the carrots provide a sweet and earthy flavour throughout the dish and are complemented by the flavours of the cumin and orange. There’s no need to peel them before you roast them, just give them a quick scrub and chop them up.
Cumin seed – if you can’t get your hands of cumin seed, use 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin instead.
Orange – The orange flavour works perfectly with the carrots and the cumin in this recipe. If you aren’t able to get an orange you could replace it with one lemon instead.
Chickpeas – I have used tinned chickpeas in this recipe as they come already cooked, adding them to the roasting tray heats them up and makes them a little bit crispy. You could use dried chickpeas, but they would need soaking and boiling before adding them to the recipe. If you are cooking the dried chickpeas at the same time as the rest of the recipe, you don’t need to add them to the roasting tray, just toss them through with the other ingredients at the end.
Couscous – I have chosen to use wholewheat giant couscous in this recipe. I love the texture it adds to this halloumi couscous. However, you can use whatever couscous suits you best, just cook it as per the packet instructions and toss it all together at the end. If you didn’t want to use couscous, you could instead use something like quinoa, rice or pasta.
Halloumi Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Carrots FAQ
Allow the meal to cool at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Transfer the halloumi and couscous ingredients into a air-tight Tupperware container and pop into the fridge. Consume within 3-4 days.
If possible, cook the halloumi fresh just before you’re about to serve this recipe. If reheating cooked halloumi, toss it in a frying pan for a few minutes until it is hot and has softened. The carrot and chickpea couscous can be reheated in a saucepan with a little water on a medium heat. Make sure all food is piping hot before serving.
Alternatively, transfer all of the ingredients into a microwave-safe container and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Ensure the food is piping hot before serving, microwave for a few minutes more if it is not. Cook time will depend on the strength of your microwave.
Halloumi is a cheese, originally from Cyprus, that is made from both goats milk and sheep’s milk. It is a firm, brined, mild flavoured cheese that, due to its high melting point, can be fried or grilled without turning into a gooey mess. While it is quite high in sodium and saturated fat, halloumi also provides protein and a good dose of calcium.
Halloumi can be eaten cold and it can also be eaten raw. However for the best taste and texture, pan-frying it until it is golden and crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, yields the tastiest results.
Couscous originate from regions in North Africa. Much like pasta, it is made from durum wheat semolina flour mixed with water.
Because couscous is made with wheat flour, it is not gluten-free.
If you’re not a fan of couscous or require a gluten-free grain instead the following are great substitutes for couscous:
🌾 Quinoa
🌾 Rice
🌾 Millet
🌾 Buckwheat
🌾 Bulgar wheat (not gluten-free)
Over on Instagram…
Other vegetarian dinner recipes you might enjoy
- Moroccan Vegetable Tagine Recipe
- Winter Vegetable Soup with Barley and Parmesan
- Vegan Bolognese with Mushroom and Lentil
- Roast Butternut Squash with Raisin Pesto and Couscous
- Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables with Mixed Grains and Feta
- Hummus Wrap with Halloumi from Naturally Ella
How to Make Halloumi Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Carrots
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Fried Halloumi with Roast Carrot and Chickpea Couscous
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Description
This vegetarian dinner recipe is filled with crispy, fried halloumi, roast carrots, chickpeas and giant couscous, then flavoured with orange and cumin. It is a hearty, nutritious meal that is full of flavour and a great weeknight dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 3 teaspoons cumin seed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 400 gram tin chickpeas
- 100 grams cavolo nero or kale, sliced
- Juice & zest of 1 orange
- 100 grams Merchant Gourmet Wholewheat Giant Couscous or any type of pearl couscous
- 250 milliliters water
- 150 grams halloumi, sliced
- 1 handful coriander, chopped
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180ºC.
- In a roasting dish mix the carrots with the cumin seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out evenly and roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, add in the chickpeas and 1/2 the orange juice then pop back into the oven for a further 20 minutes.
- While the carrots and chickpeas are roasting, prepare the couscous (see notes).
Add the water and orange zest to the saucepan and bring it to the boil, before reducing the heat to a simmer and half covering with a lid. Cook the couscous for 15-18 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the couscous has softened. - Add the cavolo nero or kale to the roasting dish alongside the carrots and chickpeas and roast for a further 5-8 minutes while you fry the halloumi.
- Heat a cast-iron frying pan on a medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Fry the halloumi for 1-2 minutes on each side until it develops a golden-brown crust.
- To serve, mix the cooked couscous in with the roasted carrots, chickpeas and cavolo nero along with the remaining orange juice and zest and the chopped coriander. Pop it all into big dishes with the halloumi on top and enjoy!
Notes
- Optional: toasting the couscous.
Toasting the pearl couscous grains before cooking in water gives the couscous a nutty flavour which compliments the other ingredients in this recipe beautifully!
Over a medium heat warm a splash of oil in a saucepan. Toast the pearl couscous in the oil for 2-3 minutes until it begins to turn golden brown in colour. Then add the water and continue to cook as per the packet instructions. - You could also use the smaller grain Moroccan couscous in place of pearl couscous. However you wouldn’t need to toast the grains first, just cook as per packet instructions.
Keywords: Halloumi Recipes, Fried Halloumi Recipe, Fried Halloumi, Roast Carrot, Chickpea Recipe, Couscous Recipe, Chickpea Couscous, Vegetarian Dinner Recipe, Weeknight Dinner Recipe
Last Updated:
Update Information: New FAQ added.
When do you use the orange zest?
Good question! Add the zest to the saucepan along with the water when cooking the couscous. Thanks for spotting this, I’ve updated the recipe accordingly!
Hi!
1400 gr chick peas seems a lot!!
Is it 140gr?
Thank you!
Oups!
I figure it was 1 x 400gr! Sorry! New mom with slow working brain!
😆
Haha no worries Amelie! I hope if you tried the recipe, you enjoyed it! No matter how many chickpeas ended up in it😆
THIS IS MY FAVORITE MEAL EVER! I make this all the time and both me and my boyfriend love it!
★★★★★
This is perfect as a main and as a side dish along side a BBQ. It’s easy to make and full of flavour! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Hannah! I’m so glad you enjoy it 😊
Loooove this recipe. Making it for the third time tonight!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you like it Sophie! Thanks for your comment ☺️
This is a tremendous recipe and a staple in our diet. Tweaked it by adding sliced red onion and halved cherry tomatoes with the chickpeas and then added sun blush tomatoes just before serving which made it more moist. Also added some pomegranate seeds and used the harissa haloumiI kebabs currently available for bbqs. Had tsaiki at the side and toasted ciabatta. Am currently making it as the main piece for our bbq. Thank you so much for sharing this.👍🏽💐
★★★★★
Thank you for your lovely feedback Anita!
Hi! Do you serve it warm or cold?
You can serve either warm or cold! Halloumi always has the best texture when it’s eaten straight from the pan but you can eat it cold too!
This is an absolutely phenomenal recipe. I didn’t change anything about it! Have made it twice and it’s forever in our rotation!
★★★★★
Yay I’m so glad you love it Tina! Thank you for your lovely comment ☺️