There’s nothing like a warm lentil bowl to finish a busy day! Nutritious, filling and exhilarating, our Halloumi and Lentil Salad features roasted aubergine, a bunch of fresh herbs and a wonderful lemon tahini dressing! If you never tried pairing these ingredients together, this green lentil salad is definitely worth a try!
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We absolutely love the combination of Aubergine and Halloumi here, at Somebody Feed Seb. We make Aubergine and Halloumi Stack with Honey Lemon Drizzle and you will often catch us having an Aubergine And Halloumi Panini for lunch. But this salad is definitely one of our favourites!
How to Cook Green Lentils?
Green lentils are great when you are looking for your lentils to retain some of their texture, and not fully break during cooking. We love using them in salads and stuffed vegetables. To make perfect green lentils, we have a few tips for you:
- Rinse your lentils in cold water. Why? First of all, to remove all the dust and any leftovers of fertilizer and unmentionables used in farming processes that may cause digestive issues. Read more on rinsing the lentils here. Secondly, it will remove the starchy coating, preventing the lentils from sticking to each other. Whilst, rinsing, check for any pebbles too.
- Soaking green lentils isn’t necessary, but recommended if you want to reduce the time they will take to cook.
- Cook in enough water. Add three times the volume of water to your lentils to make sure they retain their texture.
- Cook on low heat. If you boil lentils on high heat, the skin will detach and the result will be mushy, watery and untidy looking.
How to Cook Halloumi?
Halloumi is typically fried or grilled. For this recipe, we simply pan-fried slices of cheese to brown and crisp up.
- Add a drizzle of oil if you are using a pan that doesn’t have a non-stick coating. Wait for the oil to heat up before adding halloumi.
- Fry on medium-high heat. You only want the halloumi to brown, not cook through. If the temperature is too low, halloumi will stew instead of browning.
- Fry for approx 2 minutes on each side, or until browned, then flip the slices over and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Reheating halloumi is not recommended, as it will become too rubbery.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We typically use green lentils (or lentils vert) in this recipe, as they give a lovely texture when cooked slightly al dente and have a milder taste that doesn’t overshadow the rest of the ingredients. However, brown lentils and puy lentils will work in this recipe too, but you may need to adjust cooking times.
Sumac is a Middle Eastern Spice made from ground up dried berries. Widely used across the world, sumac is renowned for its bright burgundy colour as well as tart citrusy flavour. Whilst it can be used in dry rubs, or as a seasoning in casseroles and soups, it is most frequently used sprinkled on top of the various dishes. In this recipe, we use it to enhance the flavour of lemon in the tahini dressing. But if you can’t get hold of any sumac, substitute it with zaatar, amchoor or lemon pepper, or skip it altogether.
How To Make Lentil Salad with Halloumi and Aubergine?
Cook the green lentils in salted water for about 25-30 minutes (more tips in the text above). They should be cooked al dente and retain a bit of texture. Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool down.
Preheat the oven to 190 C Fan. Top and tail the aubergine and cut it into 1cm thick rounds. Place the slices of aubergine in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix to coat.
Arrange aubergine slices on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment in a single layer and pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes. The aubergine should be soft and slightly browned.
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on medium heat until lightly browned and smell nutty. Reserve the pan for frying the halloumi later.
When the lentils are cool, add cherry tomatoes, finely chopped red onion, mint, parsley and walnuts to them.
In a small bowl, mix minced garlic, sumac, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the lentils. Mix carefully.
Cut the halloumi into 9 thin slices. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the reserved frying pan. Once hot, add the halloumi slices and fry until the halloumi is browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Make the yoghurt dressing by mixing yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice. Season.
Serve the lentil salad topped with halloumi with the tahini yoghurt on the side!
Halloumi lover? Us too. Here are some of our best halloumi recipes:
- Creamy Sweet Potato, Halloumi & Leek Pie
- Ultimate Halloumi Burgers with Chimichurri Mayonnaise
- Mandarin & Halloumi Couscous Bowl
Recipe Card
Green Lentil Salad with Halloumi & Aubergine
Ingredients
- 200 g green lentils dried weight
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large aubergine cut into 1 cm rounds
- 40 g walnuts roughly chopped
- 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ red onion finely chopped
- 15 g parsley finely chopped
- 15 g mint leaves finely sliced
- 225 g halloumi cut into 9 slices
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Yoghurt Drizzle:
- 100 g yoghurt
- 1½ tablespoon light tahini
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the green lentils in salted water for about 25-30 minutes. They should be cooked al dente and retain a bit of texture. Once cooked, drain and set aside to cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C Fan. Place the slices of aubergine in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix to coat.
- Arrange aubergine slices on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment in a single layer and pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes. Aubergine should be soft and slightly browned.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on medium heat until lightly browned and smell nutty. Reserve the pan for frying the halloumi later.
- When the lentils are cool, add cherry tomatoes, finely chopped red onion, mint, parsley and walnuts to them.
- In a small bowl, mix minced garlic, sumac, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the lentils. Mix carefully.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in the reserved frying pan. Once hot, add the halloumi slices and fry until halloumi is browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Make the yoghurt dressing by mixing yoghurt, tahini and lemon juice. Season.
- Serve the lentil salad topped with halloumi with the tahini yoghurt on the side!
Alison
This was super delicious. The eggplant was so tender and paired nicely with the lentils. The mint and tahini were an excellent complement to the flavors.
Ieva
Thanks so much for the feedback, Alison! Glad you enjoyed the flavours 🙂
Toni
It turned out really good! Thanks for the recipe!
Ieva
You are most welcome, Toni! 🙂
Artney
I absolutely love this combination of flavors. Green lentils are one of my favorites this time of year. This is such a filling, nutritious meal and I look forward to keeping it in the rotation.
Ieva
Thanks, Artney! 🙂
Clare
This was delicious and great low carb but subtstial meal. Love the combination of flavours. The fresh herbs ,earthy lentils, salty halloumi and creamy aubergine Another winning combination. Thanks for the recipe Ieva
Ieva
Thanks, Clare! Really glad you enjoyed it 🙂