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    Home » MAINS » VEGETARIAN

    Quick Halloumi Rice Bowl

    Published: August 22, 2021 · Updated: July 12, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    A simple, yet delicious rice dish, with a whole variety of flavours and textures! Spicy and fragrant Ras El Hanout, salty halloumi and sweet and fruity sultanas go amazingly well in this delicious Spinach & Halloumi Rice Bowl recipe. Finished with some lemon juice for a fresh zing, and some crunchy flaked almonds for a bit of texture, this is a wonderfully quick and easy meal for a busy summer’s day that you can cook up in just 20 minutes!

    • Is It A Halloumi Pilaf? Halloumi Biryani? Or Halloumi Rice Bowl?
    • What Rice to Use for Halloumi Rice Bowl?
    • Other Ingredients
    • Method: How To Make Halloumi Rice Bowl?
    • Other Halloumi Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Is It A Halloumi Pilaf? Halloumi Biryani? Or Halloumi Rice Bowl?

    Seb calls this dish a Halloumi Pilaf. Pilaf is just a fancy name for rice cooked in stock or broth with added spices, vegetables and other ingredients. The signature of a good pilaf is each of the rice grains being separate when cooked, as opposed to porridge-like (like arborio rice) or stuck together (like sticky rice).

    Similarly, biryani is normally made with uncooked rice stewing in stock, spices and vegetables to absorb all the flavours.

    Our version is a bit of a cheat’s pilaf. We cooked the rice first, then added it with all the flavours after, so it seems too naughty to call this halloumi rice recipe a pilaf or a biryani.

    Spinach and halloumi rice in a large frying pan.

    What Rice to Use for Halloumi Rice Bowl?

    There are so many different rice varieties, each with its different appearance, texture and cooking time. For the pilaf, I’d recommend using basmati rice. It has great texture when cooked, grains do not adhere to each other and can easily be fluffed up with a fork. Another one, that works just as well is Jasmine rice. But because of the rather strong aroma, it depends on what other ingredients you’re cooking your pilaf with.

    Other Ingredients

    Besides rice, you will also need the following to make this halloumi rice recipe:

    • garlic cloves: or garlic paste.
    • chilli: red or green – you choose.
    • spring onion
    • halloumi cheese: you may choose a full-fat or reduced-fat version.
    • ras el hanout: if you fancy making your own spice blend, have a look at our Ras el Hanout recipe here.
    • spinach: we used baby spinach.
    • dill: fresh or frozen.
    • flaked almonds: or slivered almonds.
    • sultanas: can be replaced with dried apricots or raisins.
    • lemon: or lemon juice from a bottle.
    • plain yoghurt: natural or Greek yoghurt.
    ingredients for the halloumi bowl.

    Method: How To Make Halloumi Rice Bowl?

    Toast flaked almonds in a dry pan until just starting to colour. Tip them onto a small plate to prevent further browning and set them aside.

    Slice the spring onions on the diagonal, mince, grate or finely chop your garlic and finely chop the chilli.

    Cook rice following packet instructions. Drain and set aside until later.

    Whilst the rice is cooking, cut the halloumi into bite-size pieces. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi cubes and cook for 4-5 min until starting to brown and crisp up. Add the spring onions, garlic, chilli and ras el hanout and cook for another minute stirring continuously. Then add the spinach, stir and cover with the lid. Cook for approx 1 minute until spinach starts to wilt.

    halloumi, spinach and sultanas in a frying pan.
    adding rice to the halloumi and spinach mixture.
    Spinach and halloumi rice in a large frying pan garnished with a lemon slice, dill and flaked almonds.

    Once wilted, add the cooked drained rice and sultanas. Cook for 2 minutes to warm the rice through. Take the pan off of the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Garnish your halloumi rice bowl with the toasted flaked almonds, dill and a spoonful of yoghurt!

    Other Halloumi Recipes

    For other great ways to use halloumi, have a look at our favourite recipes below:

    • Creamy Sweet Potato, Halloumi & Leek Pie
    • Ultimate Halloumi Burgers with Chimichurri Mayonnaise
    • Mandarin & Halloumi Couscous Bowl

    Recipe Card

    Halloumi Rice on a white striped plate with red rim.

    Quick & Easy Halloumi Rice Bowl

    A simple, yet delicious rice dish, with a whole variety of flavours and textures! Spicy Ras El Hanout, salty halloumi and sweet and fruity sultanas go amazingly well in this delicious Spinach & Halloumi Rice Bowl recipe. Finished with some lemon juice for a fresh zing, and some crunchy flaked almonds for a bit of texture, this is a wonderfully easy meal for a busy summer's day that you can cook up in just 20 minutes!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean, North African
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 699 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 120 g basmati rice
    • 2 garlic cloves minced or finely chopped
    • 1 chilli finely chopped
    • 1 spring onion thinly sliced
    • 225 g halloumi cheese cut into cubes
    • 1 teaspoon ras el hanout
    • 120 g spinach
    • 5 g dill finely chopped
    • 10 g flaked almonds
    • 30 g sultanas
    • 1 lemon juice only
    • 2 tablespoon plain yoghurt

    Instructions
     

    • Toast flaked almonds in a dry pan until just starting to colour. Tip them onto a small plate to prevent further browning and set aside.
    • Cook rice following packet instructions. Drain and set aside until later.
    • Whilst the rice is cooking, cut the halloumi into bite-size pieces. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi cubes and cook for 4-5 min until starting to brown and crisp up.
    • Add the spring onions, garlic, chilli and ras el hanout and cook for another minute stirring continuously.
    • Then add the spinach, stir and cover with the lid. Cook for approx 1 minute until spinach starts to wilt.
    • Once wilted, add the cooked drained rice and sultanas. Cook for 2 minutes to warm the rice through.
    • Take the pan off of the heat and squeeze in the lemon. Garnish with the toasted flaked almonds, dill and a spoonful of yoghurt!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 699kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 35gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 1418mgPotassium: 851mgFiber: 6gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 6683IUVitamin C: 82mgCalcium: 1295mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword Halloumi Bowl, Halloumi Recipes, Halloumi Rice Bowl, Rice Bowl Recipes, Spinach & Halloumi Bowl, Vegetarian Rice Bowl
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

    More VEGETARIAN

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    • Vegetarian Glamorgan Sausages (Welsh Leek Sausages)
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    • 5-Ingredient Tomato Puff Pastry Tart

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Savita

      February 10, 2022 at 10:42 am

      5 stars
      What a delicious bowl, it is perfect for my weeknight busy dinners. Loved this easy spinach rice recipe.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        February 10, 2022 at 7:29 pm

        Thank you 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it

        Reply
    2. Dannii

      May 15, 2022 at 12:49 pm

      5 stars
      I love anything with halloumi and this was delicious. So much flavour.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        May 16, 2022 at 10:29 am

        Same here! We absolutely adore halloumi!

        Reply
    3. Sue

      June 01, 2022 at 1:06 pm

      5 stars
      We made this on a hot night last week and LOVED it, thanks!!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        June 01, 2022 at 7:31 pm

        Thanks for trying it! Glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    4. Dana

      July 17, 2022 at 10:13 am

      5 stars
      This is amazing! Halloumi is so good. I’d never made it with rice before—it’s amazing. So glad I found this recipe. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        July 17, 2022 at 10:28 am

        Thanks for the lovely feedback, Dana! 💗

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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