This fried halloumi salad with beets is tender, crisp and nutritious! The light dijon mustard, vinegar, and olive oil dressing adds the perfect cherry on the top and brings all the flavors together perfectly.
Try our favorite beet recipes roasted beets and carrots, or pickled cabbage like next!
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Ingredients For Halloumi Salad
- Savory Halloumi cheese - after frying, this soft cheese provides just enough saltiness (and a little crispiness!) to allow the other flavors to shine. Cheese just makes things so much better. Goat cheese is another popular variation, just slice it and serve as a topping.
- Beets - beets are a nutrient powerhouse root vegetables! For this recipe, prepare the beets as you like - boil, steam, or roast the beets in the oven.
- Baby spinach - arugula, romaine, butter lettuce, or other similar vitamin-packed lettuces will be a great choice here. I usually add at least 2 different types of lettuce.
- Dressing - Dijon mustard is the key element in this creamy dressing along with a good quality olive oil that just seals the deal. Regular mustard is not a great idea to use, it is too overpowering.
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
How To Make Fried Halloumi Salad
Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or a jar and shake/stir like crazy.
Set aside (for best flavor, let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour).
Heat up a little cooking oil in a nonstick or similar frying pan over medium heat.
Add the halloumi slices (about a ¼-½ inch thick) and cook them until golden brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes).
Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
You can keep the halloumi warm in a preheated oven before being ready to serve.
If you have a grill, fry the cheese there which will add an appetizing smoky layer to it.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, mix the spinach leaves, half of the dressing, and red onions in a bowl.
Gently mix to combine. Arrange other ingredients on a serving platter and add beetroots (I like to add a pinch of salt to the beetroot before serving), halloumi, and top with more dressing right before ready to serve.
You can add a squeeze of citrus juice or a little lemon zest for a pleasing aroma and delicious flavors.
Tips
- Avoid bleeding - I prefer to minimize handling beetroot because it stains easily, so I opt for cutting it into thinner half circles or wedges. You can achieve this by using a mandoline or julienne peeler to cut thinner strips.
- Customize with: quinoa, edamame beans, chickpeas (preferably roasted), carrots, avocados, and extra lettuce choices.
- If you have time, marinate the red onion in red wine vinegar for 15-30 minutes. If you don’t have time, no worries it will still taste good. Red wine vinegar has a strong flavor that can be used instead of apple cider vinegar for the dressing. The flavor is incredible!
- I used pre-packaged boiled beets, but roasted beets are also great as they retain maximum flavor and nutrition.
- I prefer serving fried halloumi warm, cooking it at the last minute to maintain its crispy exterior and soft, slightly squeaky texture inside. Alternatively, you can cook the cheese and keep it in a preheated oven until ready to serve.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store Salad. The salad is meant to be consumed on the same day. The spinach or arugula leaves mixed in the dressing won't keep fresh for a long time and thus is better to consume right away, as fresh as it comes!
- To Store Fried Cheese. However, this doesn’t apply to halloumi cheese! Once you’ve fried halloumi, it can be refrigerated for 1-2 days. Reheat in the warm oven for a couple of minutes (preferred method), or in the microwave, or air fryer. No freezing!
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Recipe
Beet and Halloumi Salad
INGREDIENTS
For Salad
- 1 packet, 8 oz halloumi cheese (block of halloumi cheese)
- 4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
- 2 medium beetroot, cooked (boiled, grilled or roasted)
- 1 small red onion, sliced into half moon or circles
Dressing
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or a jar and shake/stir like crazy. Set aside (for best flavor, let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour).
- Heat up a little cooking oil in a non stick or similar frying pan over medium heat. Add the halloumi slices (about ¼-½ inch thick) and cook them until golden brown on both sides (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain the excess oil. You can keep the halloumi warm in a preheated oven before ready to serve. If you have a grill, grill the cheese there which will add an appetizing smoky layer to it.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, mix the spinach leaves, half of the dressing, and red onions in a bowl. Gently mix to combine. Arrange others ingredients on a serving platter and add beetroots (I like to add a pinch of salt to the beetroot before serving), halloumi and top with more dressing right before ready to serve. You can add a squeeze of citrus juice or a little lemon zest for a pleasing aroma and delicious flavors
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
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