Halloumi Pasta

Why this recipe is great

There are so many reasons to love this halloumi pasta recipe.

•  It’s one-pot, making it such an easy pasta recipe, whilst reducing the clean up after.
• It’s loaded with so many summery, vibrant flavours. The tangy, salty halloumi is the best topping that is often ignored with pasta recipes. Halloumi is such a good cheat code ingredient that immediately elevates a dish to a 10/10.
  
• It’s a perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner. This is because it takes minimal effort/clean up, less than 25 minutes to make and is also loaded with protein thanks to the halloumi. What more could you ask for?!

Other halloumi recipes you should try out after this recipe…

• • Halloumi Tray Bake with Roasted Vegetables
  • Sweet Chilli Halloumi Wrap 
    
  • Spicy Tomato Rice Topped with Halloumi and Coriander
  

Ingredients

Low Fat Halloumi 

To keep the calories on the lower end of the spectrum, I use low fat halloumi. I find that it’s just as delicious, pan-fries the same as full fat and works with this dish really well. 

Chillies

I went down a spicy route with this recipe, as I think that a halloumi pasta recipe should be balanced with a vibrant, spicy tomato sauce against the salty tangy halloumi. The recipe would still be delicious without the chillies though, so feel free to omit if you’re a spice hater. 

Garlic

We wouldn’t serve pasta with halloumi without garlic would we? Feel free to increase/decrease the garlic quantity depending on your preference. 

Spring Onion 

We use the spring onion both as an aromatic base and also as a crispy garnish to top the halloumi sauce. 

Courgettes

For flavour, volume and nutrients. You could also swap out with aubergine, bell pepper or peas. 

Cherry Tomatoes 

Added for the same reason as courgette. We also throw these in at the end though, rather than cooking them down in the sauce, so they add a fresh, textural intrigue to the sauce that feels really summery which I love. 

Tomato Puree

To provide the rich, tomatoey base for the sauce. 

Green Olives

For a salty, flavourful kick in our sauce. Feel free to use black olives or capers in place of the green olives if you don’t have any. 

Basil 

For flavour and freshness. 

Linguine 

I use linguine for this recipe, but you can absolutely use whatever pasta shape you have on hand. 

Lemon

Oops I forgot to add this in the ingredients pic! This adds to the summery brightness in the recipe and contrasts against the salty, cheesy flavours of the halloumi.

How to make halloumi pasta

To make the halloumi with pasta recipe, start by thinly slicing the halloumi.

Then add half of the oil into a large/deep non-stick frying pan on a medium/high heat. To that, add the halloumi and fry each side for 2 minutes.

Once the halloumi is golden brown on both sides, set the halloumi aside.

Then thinly slice the spring onions on a chopping board.

Deseed the chillies, then finely chop the chillies and the garlic, before adding to the bowl with the prepped spring onions.

To the same pan, add the remaining oil, garlic, chilli and spring onion into the pan (reserving some of the greener end of the spring onion for garnish). Fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

Next, add the courgette quarters, paprika and tomato puree into the pan and season with salt. Fry for 3 minutes then add the chicken stock and linguine into the pan. Bring up to a boil and set your timer to 12 minutes. Make sure that you move the pasta frequently to prevent sticking.

When the pasta is almost ready, stir the cherry tomatoes, olives, lemon juice and grated courgette into the pan. Top with halloumi, the reserved spring onion, fresh basil and any spare fresh chilli. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and enjoy. I also served with a generous pinch of chilli flakes for another layer of heat.

Swaps and Variations

Vegetable additions/ substitutes for the halloumi pasta: 

• • Aubergine 
  • Mixed Bell Peppers
  • Green beans 
  • Peas 
  • Spinach 
  • Sweetcorn

To make this more of a halloumi lunch recipe:

• • Reduce pasta quantity by half
  • Double the veg or serve with a rocket side salad.
    
  • Use a vegan halloumi substitute
  • Ensure that you use vegetable stock rather than chicken.
    

Storage/Reheat

Can I reheat this recipe?

Yes this recipe is great for meal prep. Just add 1 tbsp of water into your meal prep containers before reheating in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once half way. Top with spring onion, chilli flakes and enjoy! 

Some people don’t like the texture of reheated halloumi, as it’s not crispy like freshly pan-fried halloumi. If you’re in that camp, meal prep all of the pasta and fry an individual portion of halloumi each time that you eat a portion. 

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes you can freeze these halloumi meals for up to 3 months! Just like with reheating as explained above, the texture of the halloumi will change though so bare this in mind. I prefer to not freeze this halloumi pasta recipe and think that hopefully you’ll love it so much that you wouldn’t want to wait that long to eat it again. 

Other one-pot pasta recipes you should try out:

Creamy Chicken & Bacon Pasta (One-Pot and Healthy)

One-Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Pasta Soup