Halloumi Salad With Sundried Tomatoes, Mint And Honey-balsamic Spinach
on Mar 13, 2021, Updated Aug 25, 2023
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Is there any end to how versatile and delicious pan-fried halloumi is? This halloumi salad is so classy, and yet takes less than 20 minutes to make. Just toss spinach in a simple honey-balsamic dressing, then top with grilled halloumi, sundried tomatoes and minty yogurt. It’s the perfect light but luxury lunch for yourself, or a simple and tasty appetizer for dinner guests.
What’s so great about this halloumi salad?
OK, so you’ve discovered the wonderful-ness that is halloumi cheese – that white, salty, semi-hard cheese from Cyprus that turns into one of the most delicious appetizers ever when it’s cooked. You’ve eaten it grilled simply with lemon wedges and toasted bread, you’ve tried halloumi fries (I hope!), halloumi kebabs and halloumi burgers.
But have you ever tried to make halloumi the star of the show on a salad? This crispy halloumi salad with avocado, corn and tomatoes is legendary, but what’s so great about this halloumi salad with sundried tomatoes and spinach?
- Like many Mediterranean appetizers, it takes a few fresh and simple ingredients and makes something incredibly delicious and memorable out of them (see next point below!).
- You need just 4 ingredients for the salad, 3 for the dressing and another 3 for the minty yogurt.
- It’s a spinach based salad, and therefore nice and healthy.
- This works perfectly as a simple lunch or a side for an easy midweek meal. But it works equally as well as a simple but classy appetizer for guests. Or perhaps BBQ the halloumi and serve as a BBQ side?
About the ingredients
Halloumi: You’ll need 1 ‘log’ or roll of halloumi cheese to make this salad. I prefer to go for an authentic Cypriot halloumi if it’s available. It just seems to have a better texture when cooked. Most supermarkets sell halloumi in the packaged cheese section these days, but if you’re having trouble finding it try a European style deli or even Amazon!
Sundried tomatoes: This is easy! Just grab a jar or tub from your supermarket shelf or deli. Sundried or semi-dried will do the trick.
Spinach: Grab a bag of ready-washed baby spinach to make things easy, if it’s available.
Mint: Fresh. It’s so easy to grow your own, or grab a package from the supermarket. If you can’t find any fresh at the shops, which I sometimes can’t, dried will work instead.
Greek yogurt: I usually go for an authentic brand like Chobani. Here in Australia most brands are made of cream, which I try to avoid.
Lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey: for the easy dressing, and for the garnish.
How to make it
Step 1: Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Toss it through the spinach in a big bowl.
Step 2: Pan-fry the halloumi slices for a few minutes on each side or until dark golden and lightly crispy. The key to cooking halloumi is to not move it until the liquid that oozes out has evaporated and the residue has turned golden brown. Then check if it’s sufficiently cooked and flip over to cook on the other side.
Step 3: Working quickly, arrange the just-cooked golden halloumi over the spinach on a large plate. Then scatter over the sundried tomatoes.
Step 4: The final step is to whisk together the Greek yogurt and chopped mint and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Spoon it over the salad together with a sprinkle of paprika and more fresh mint for an extra minty ‘kick’ but also a final decorative touch.
Step 5: Serve immediately while the halloumi is still hot and crisp. I like to serve this with either toasted Greek pitta bread, or this 2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt. Alternatively, a little couscous or quinoa would go well.
How to serve it
As halloumi is so ‘meaty’, I think this halloumi salad makes a great light(ish) lunch. It’s also a great choice for an appetizer or side for guests. It’s so simple and yet hearty and classy, don’t you think?
I think it would make a particularly great BBQ side dish. You could BBQ the halloumi instead of pan-frying it. Just cut the halloumi slices a little thicker so that they hold up well on the grill. Spray with a little olive oil and cook for a few minutes on each side.
Alternatively serve it on the side midweek with steak, chicken or fish.
More things to know (FAQs)
In the UK and Australia halloumi is available in most major supermarkets. In the USA you can try Whole Foods, Walmart or Costco, a European style deli or even Amazon.
I like to go for an authentic Cypriot brand if there’s a choice as I find the texture better.
Actually… yes! If you’d prefer to bake it, just preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Then pop the halloumi slices in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake for around 15 minutes, turning half way.
If you’d like to air fry it, brush the halloumi with olive oil lightly on both sides. Then air fry for 15 minutes at 200C/390F, or until dark golden and crisp. Turn half way.
Halloumi is always best served immediately after cooking, when it’s hot and squidgy in the middle and crispy on the outside. MMmm.
However, what you can do is whisk up the dressings in advance. Just cover them and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.
More warm salads (perfect for lunches, BBQs and more!)
Or see all easy salads.
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Halloumi Salad With Sundried Tomatoes, Mint And Honey-balsamic Spinach
Equipment
Ingredients
For the honey-balsamic dressing
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup olive oil
For the minty yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 good squeezes fresh lemon juice
For the salad
- 3½ ounces fresh spinach, washed & chopped
- 1 ‘log’ of halloumi cheese, cut into 1-cm wide slices (8.8 ounces/250 grams)
- 5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- a few sprigs of fresh mint & a sprinkle of paprika, hot or regular
To serve (optional)
- a slice of lemon & toasted pitta bread
Instructions
- First of all, make the honey-balsamic dressing by whisking together the three ingredients. Toss 3 or 4 tablespoons of it with the washed spinach in a bowl, then turn it out onto two plates.2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, ⅓ cup olive oil, 3½ ounces fresh spinach
- Now prepare your minty yoghurt by stirring the mint and lemon into the yoghurt. Set aside.2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt, 2 tablespoons chopped mint, 2 good squeezes fresh lemon juice
- Heat up a large skillet/frying pan or griddle pan and dry fry the halloumi slices for a few minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Then arrange them in an overlapping line down the centre of your spinach.1 ‘log’ of halloumi cheese
- Sprinkle the sundried tomatoes
over the salad along with the mint sprigs. Quickly dot the salad with spoonfuls of the minty yoghurt and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of paprika. Serve while the halloumi is still warm with a slice of lemon for squeezing over the cheese and some toasted pitta bread if you like. Then enjoy!5 sundried tomatoes, a few sprigs of fresh mint & a sprinkle of paprika, a slice of lemon & toasted pitta bread
over the salad along with the mint sprigs. Quickly dot the salad with spoonfuls of the minty yoghurt and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of paprika. Serve while the halloumi is still warm with a slice of lemon for squeezing over the cheese and some toasted pitta bread if you like. Then enjoy!
This salad looks perfect and great for Summer! Love halloumi- my fav food ever! Definitely going to try this, Helen! 🙂
It always makes me feel like I succeeded with a recipe when someone tells me they’re going to make it, Jessica! So glad that you like it! 🙂
I totally agree with you: some dishes do not need meat at all! Although I love meat, I always try to eat it not more than 2 times a week or so. I´m sure this salad tastes amazing, I love minty salads =)
Yes, the mint really did balance out this salad nicely, Karla. Do give it a try some time!
I feel the same way. There are so many dishes where you don’t need any meat… It should contain wuite a few spices though. Sundreid tomatoes are always a winner with meatless meals. 🙂
I love this recipe.
So happy that this is a winner with you, Tina. I agree that you need some strong tastes in meatless meals. This has not only the sundried tomatoes but also the balsamic and honey to balance out the saltiness of the cheese.
Mr. Scrummy sounds a lot like my husband. I am trying to enforce once a week vegetarian dinner and it doesn’t go very well every week. I’ll have to try this salad sometimes. Looks and sounds delicious.
So glad you like the salad, Lail. I’d be interested to know if your husband does miss there being no meat in it or not! 🙂
This is sooo my kind of meal! It looks amazing! I can take or leave meat – I eat mostly vegetarian but every now and then will crave a burger (or something like that) : ) So I eat it! haha We probably eat meat once or twice a week though (largely because of my meat-loving husband!)
Yes, what is it about men and meat? Although I have met a few male vegetarians … haha! Glad you like the salad 🙂
Hi Helen, saw halloumi cheese at Trader Joe’s last week, and remember Nigella making something with it. Now this salad, which is perfect by the way. Love all the different components. Wondering…are you back and settled yet in the UK? There are many meals that I make that do not have meat, I try and only prepare meat a couple of times a week, so my husband does not get too upset.
I am indeed back in the UK now, but after ‘extolling the virtues’ of settling in this post, it looks like we may be on the move again soon for a short while. Grrrr! Anyway, good to know that you can get halloumi at Trader Joe’s. It’s lovely with beetroot as well. It’s that tart-salty combination again that does it.
Carnivore extraordinaire – we have some of those! I love how you got the spinach and tomato in this recipe, and we don’t even need the meat! The key to any good vegetarian recipe is the seasoning and you’ve got us covered in this recipe. Gorgeous and delicious, as usual, Helen!
Hmm, I think you’re right about seasoning and veggie recipes. In fact, I suppose that can be true of meat recipes, too. So happy to have impressed you, Mary Frances!
Our Mr’s sound near on identical! Mine is a dedicated carnivore but surprisingly took very well to halloumi. I thought he would reject it on sight but even went as far as to say that he’d eat it again. I was vegetarian for a while when I was a teenager but my downfall was a burger. Your salad looks gorgeous, definitely one to try!
I’m so glad that you like the sound of the salad, Sian! I’ve never been much of a burger girl, but I think the one thing I’d miss if I was a vegetarian would be chicken as it’s just so versatile and something that most (carnivores) like.
Bacon seems to corrupt a lot of people! I’m the same way, if it weren’t for the husband I would probably eat a primarily vegetarian diet, but he needs his protein so I try to cook more of it for him. This dish sounds so good, I’ve never heard of halloumi cheese before, but fried cheese is always a winner in my book!
I suppose you could look at this as a type of grilled cheese, Isadora. Except it doesn’t run everywhere but just goes beautiful and crispy. Do try some fried halloumi if you can, and let me know what you think!
I have not heard of Halloumi before, but will definitely keep my eyes open for it, salad looks yummy, as your stuff always does!! 🙂
I was wondering whether you all would have heard of halloumi over there in the USA! If you liked, you could substitute the halloumi for mozzarella. I’ve heard that you can get it at Wholefoods, though. If you find it, do give it a try! Oh, and thanks so much for the general compliment … you’ve put a big smile on my face! 🙂 🙂