Halloumi Caesar Salad

The creamy, lemony, garlicy dressing pairs perfectly with this halloumi Caesar salad, balancing out the intense, salty flavours of the halloumi. Now vegetarians can enjoy the best type of salad!

Why this recipe works 

When thinking of making a vegetarian Caesar salad recipe, I thought it would be super hard to replace the powerful flavour of parmesan.  That was until I remembered my favourite cheese – Halloumi. Like parmesan, halloumi is salty and strong so I knew with this substitute there would be no lack of flavour.

The Caesar dressing is stripped back using standard cupboard ingredients/ common foods that you’ll have laying around. It’s made with only 5 ingredients, so you get loads of flavour with minimal costs & effort!

Other Halloumi recipes: Nando’s Fino Pitta, Halloumi and Avocado Sourdough Toast and Halloumi Burgers

Other salad recipes: Pesto Pasta Salad, Chicken Fajita Salad Bowl and Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

Halloumi 
I’ve chosen reduced-fat halloumi,  as I find that the texture and taste is very similar, so it enables us to enjoy more cheese per portion whilst keeping the calories down. 

Mayonnaise
Hellman’s mayo is obviously my go to here, no other brand competes in my opinion. I find the flavour of low-fat may isn’t as great and as the mayo is a huge element of the Caesar dressing, we don’t want to compromise on flavour. 

Cherry tomatoes
Not traditional, but I love the sweetness and the burst of flavour that these tomatoes add to the halloumi salad. It adds brightness to a recipe that is quite rich. 

Garlic 
When minced and combined with salt and some pressure, we get the best garlic paste to flavour our Caesar dressing. 

Wholegrain Mustard
You could also substitute with Dijon mustard, however I love the taste, texture and look of wholegrain.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

How to make halloumi caesar salad

1. Start by slicing the halloumi into bite size pieces, ready to fry (Image 1).
2. Chop the tomatoes and spring onions so they’re ready to go into the salad (Image 2).

3. Then rinse the lettuce and wrap in a clean tea towel to remove the excess water (Image 3).

4. Then chop the lettuce & pop it in the fridge (wrapped in the towel), so it tastes super fresh, cold and crunchy when it’s time to eat (Image 4).

Meanwhile add the halloumi to a frying pan with a tbsp of olive oil. Rotate the pieces after around 3 minutes or until they have browned nicely. Once cooked, set aside whilst you prep the rest of the ingredients.

5. To make the dressing, finely chop the garlic then add a pinch of salt onto it. Using the side of your knife, apply pressure to form a paste and repeatedly chop. The salt will act as an abrasive to help get that smooth texture, you don’t wanna munch on a piece of raw garlic (this time) (Image 5).

6. Then it’s time to combine the garlic paste, mayo, lemon juice and mustard in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Once these have come together, sloooooowly drizzle in the oil whilst vigorously whisking. This will give it time to emulsify and become one smooth, beautiful Caesar (Image 6).

7. Add the Caesar dressing to a bowl (Image 7).

8. Now it’s time to assemble the salad by stirring the Caesar dressing into the cooled lettuce. Pop the tomatoes & spring onions into the mix & lay the halloumi on top. Garnish with some pine nuts and lots of black pepper and you’re good to go! (Image 8).

FAQs

Halloumi Caesar Salad

by Mimi Harrison

Print

5 from 10 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

£1.78

mains

Mediterranean

Servings: 5

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MetricUS Standard

This Caesar salad is a twist on the classic, as it is vegetarian with the use of halloumi. Whipped up in 10 minutes with so much flavour.

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 romaine lettuce heads (£1.15x2)=(£2.30)
• ▢ 450 gram (2 blocks) low fat halloumi blocks, sliced into pieces (£2.40x2)=(£4.80)
• ▢ Bunch of spring onions, finely sliced (£0.50)
• ▢ 250 g cherry tomatoes, sliced (£0.60)
• ▢ 1 clove of garlic (£0.40)
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice (£0.30)

Cupboard Essentials

• ▢ 2 tbsp mayo
• ▢ 4 tbsp neutral oil
• ▢ 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Method

• Start by slicing the halloumi into bite size pieces and chop the tomatoes and spring onions so they’re ready to go into the salad.
• Then rinse and chop the lettuce and place in a clean tea towel in the fridge, so it tastes super fresh and cold when it’s time to eat.
• Meanwhile add the halloumi to a frying pan with a tbsp of olive oil. Rotate the pieces after around 3 minutes or until they have browned nicely. Once cooked, set aside whilst you prep the rest of the ingredients.
• To make the dressing, finely chop the garlic then add a pinch of salt onto it. Using the side of your knife, apply pressure to form a paste and repeatedly chop. The salt will act as an abrasive to help get that smooth texture, you don’t wanna munch on a piece of raw garlic (this time).
• Then it’s time to combine the garlic paste, mayo, lemon juice and mustard in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Once these have come together, sloooooowly drizzle in the oil whilst vigorously whisking. This will give it time to emulsify and become one smooth, beautiful Caesar.
• Now it’s time to assemble the salad by stirring the Caesar dressing into the cooled lettuce. Pop the tomatoes & spring onions into the mix & lay the halloumi on top. Garnish with some pine nuts and lots of black pepper and you’re good to go!

Notes

• Create a flavourful vegetarian Caesar dressing using ingredients like mayonnaise, lemon juice, wholegrain mustard and garlic. Adjust the ratios to achieve the desired creaminess and tanginess.
• Anchovy Substitute Traditional Caesar dressing contains anchovies, but for a vegetarian version, you can add umami-rich ingredients like capers or nutritional yeast to achieve a similar depth of flavour.
• Prepare some homemade croutons by cubing whole-grain or artisan bread and tossing them with olive oil, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Bake until they're golden and crunchy. These add a satisfying crunch to the salad.

Nutrition

Servings: 5 servings

Fat: 16g

Calories: 424kcal

Carbohydrates: 10g

Protein: 3g