Vegetarian grilling options don’t have to stop at veggie burgers. This grilled halloumi strawberry salad makes the perfect vegetarian summer side dish.
Tired of serving veggie burgers as your meatless barbecue option? Not to worry, it’s time you try grilling up some cheese!
That’s right, halloumi cheese is totally grill worthy and there are a ton of ways to eat it.
It’s the perfect summer side dish. Today I’m presenting it to you as a grilled halloumi strawberry salad.
What is halloumi? Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. It doesn’t melt easily which makes it ideal for grilling.
Grilling it makes the outside crispy while keeping the inside soft. It also doesn’t contain rennet so it’s safe for all you vegetarians looking for rennet free cheese!
Halloumi tastes very salty but it pairs really well next to something sweet like strawberries and something tangy like balsamic vinegar. My favorite part of the whole salad is the subtle flavor of the basil and mint so please don’t skip it!
I’m a big fan of pairing up strawberries and basil like I did in my strawberry tarts with basil cream.
As you can imagine, the halloumi brings in another whole dimension. Yes, there’s a lot going on in this salad: salty, sweet, tangy, and herby. I promise though, it will not disappoint!
Plus, it requires very little preparation.
You can just slice it up and toss it onto the grill. Some halloumi recipes say to brush it with olive oil but I found that there was no need on my non-stick griddle.
Once you’ve tried grilled halloumi, you’ll want to keep it eating it. Try adding it on to caponata on a stick or other skewer recipes. You could also stuff it into a pita with baked falafel, tomatoes, greens and other favorite fixings.
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Grilled Halloumi Strawberry Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 5 ounces Baby Arugula
- 1/2 cup Thinly Sliced Red Onion
- 12-15 Strawberries quartered (fresh)
- 8 ounces Halloumi Cheese sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Basil chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Mint chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and olive oil and set aside.
- Toss the arugula, onions and strawberries with 2-3 Tablespoons of the dressing and place it in a serving bowl or platter.
- Prepare a grill for medium to high heat. Grill the cheese slices for 2-3 minutes per side or until you see grill marks. Transfer the cheese to the serving bowl with the salad.
- Drizzle the desired amount of dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with chopped basil and mint.
- Serve immediately.