Healthy Vegetarian Recipes – What Jessica Baked Next

Halloumi and vegetable couscous with tzatziki is a summery dinner all your friends and family will love. It’s super tasty and easy to make!

Originally posted in June 2014, recipe, writing and photographs updated August 2019.

Lately I’ve been baking so many sweet treats that I felt like posting something different and sharing a savoury creation of mine.

I’m constantly dreaming of all the recipes I can bake and create! Any spare moment I have I’m constantly scribbling down any recipe idea that pops into my head. I remembered a dish I used to make for dinner frequently that’s inspired by my travels and love of Cypriot and Greek cuisine.

I’ve been making this dish for a long time now and having first posted the recipe all the way back in 2014, I’ve meant to update the recipe and photographs for a while as I’d adapted it since then and the photographs didn’t do this recipe justice.

Eating a plate of this takes me back to sunny and warm evenings on holiday, one taste and I could be back in Cyprus or on a beautiful Greek island and that’s exactly how I want you to feel when you eat this beautiful dish.

This recipe combines two recipes I’ve previously shared: my Roasted Vegetable Couscous and traditional Greek-style Tzatziki. I’ve added some fried halloumi cheese to make this into a summer dinner all your family and friends will love. I’m yet to meet someone who dislikes halloumi, it’s quite possibly my favourite cheese simply served with a sprinkling of dried oregano and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon!

The dish is served with tzatziki, I find halving my recipe makes just enough to serve four people with maybe a little leftover. Sometimes we serve this dish part of a mezze and serve it with falafel, hummus, olives and homemade pitta bread.

Another recipe update completed. I hope for everyone who missed this the first time round will enjoy making and eating it!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

Roasted Vegetable Couscous:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 mixed colour bell peppers, deseeded and cut into medium chunks

8-10 small mushrooms (such as button or chestnut), cleaned and quartered

1 red onion, chopped into small chunks

1 courgette, halved lengthways and sliced into 1/2 inch quarters

Salt and black pepper, to taste

200g dried couscous

1 vegetable stock cube (optional)

Boiling water (see method for instructions)

Halloumi:

2 x 225g packs of halloumi cheese (see recipe method for instructions on slicing)

Olive oil, for grilling/frying

Dried or fresh herbs (I personally love seasoning mine with fresh thyme or dried oregano) – this is optional

To Serve:

1/2 x tzatziki recipe

Fresh lemon wedges

Method:

To make the couscous: Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Evenly spread the vegetables out onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables until they’re all coated well in the oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until soft and starting to colour slightly.
Once the vegetables are near enough cooked, start preparing the couscous. Place the couscous in a large bowl that will be big enough to mix up all the vegetables in too. Crumble the stock cube over the top of the couscous, season with salt (go easy on the salt as the stock cube is very salty) and pepper and pour over just enough boiling water to cover the top of the couscous. Cover the bowl with some clingfilm/plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes (I always leave mine for the full 10 minutes).
Now using a fork, fluff the couscous and then mix through the roasted vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature. Couscous can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To prepare the halloumi: Heat a small amount of olive oil in a griddle/frying pan. Take the halloumi and slice each block of cheese directly down the centre widthways, then slice each half into four slices (you’ll have eight slices in total – so four slices per person).
Sprinkle each side of the halloumi with herbs (if using) and then grill/fry the halloumi until it’s lightly golden and cooked to your liking – some people prefer their halloumi slightly softer, whereas others like it on the crispier side.
To serve, divide the couscous between four serving bowls or plates, along with the cooked halloumi and serve with the tzatziki and fresh lemon wedges.