Halloumi and Beetroot Salad with Pistachios

This recipe is for a delicious healthy halloumi and beetroot salad. I absolutely adore this salad and have been making it quite a lot recently so thought I’d share it.

Halloumi is a semi hard cheese that can be made from a mixture of goats, sheep and cow’s milk. It can be fried or grilled as it has a high melting point so it doesn’t melt as easy as some other cheeses when exposed to high temperatures. It originates in Cyprus and is eaten across most of Europe. Halloumi cheese has a salty flavour which is why it goes perfect with a fresh salad and once cooked the texture become quite chewy.

There are so many things to love about this salad ranging from the flavours to the beautiful colours.  As well as Halloumi, the salad is made up of a mixture of salad leaves which are served with beetroot, red onions, cherry tomatoes and chopped pistachios. It is then drizzled with a simple vinaigrette style dressing which enhances the gorgeous flavours further. Yes, I know it sounds amazing and it really is.

Another good thing about this salad is you can have it prepared in under 10 minutes so if you have limited time and need a quick bite then this recipe is perfect. This salad only contains 289 calories and is a healthy filling lunch especially if you’re trying to reduce your calorie intake. If you’re on a low carb diet, then you can enjoy this salad ‘as is’. If you’re eating a balanced diet then it will go perfect with some sliced toasted baguette slices.

Ingredients for Halloumi and Beetroot Salad with Pistachios

For the salad

• 100g salad leaves (of choice)
• ½ red onions (sliced)
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 30g beetroot (grated/sliced)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (for cooking)
• 70g halloumi
• 20g shelled pistachios (chopped)

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

How to Make Halloumi and Beetroot Salad with Pistachios

1. Start by preparing the salad. Wash the leaves if necessary and serve them between 2 salad bowls. Between the 2 bowls add in the sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes and beetroot.

2. Heat a frying pan with the olive oil on a medium heat. While the pan is heating, cut the Halloumi cheese into slices of your desired thickness. Halloumi can be quite wet so dry the slices with paper towels. Be gentle with this to avoid the halloumi splitting.

3. Place the slices of halloumi cheese into the frying pan and fry the halloumi slices for 2 minutes on each side. Once the halloumi is a golden-brown colour remove from the pan.

4. Add the halloumi to the salads and then sprinkle on the pistachios. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle on the salads. Time to enjoy.

Recipe Tips

• For this salad, you can use any salad leaves. I use a range of leaves including rocket, spinach, watercress, lambs lettuce and mixed chard.
• Though this salad tastes great with pistachios, you can also use other nuts such as chopped walnuts or chopped pecans.

Nutrition

Calories	Fat	Saturates	Carbs
289kcal	23.6g	8.4g	5.8g
Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
5.0g	3.5g	12.5g	1.07g

Storage

Make this salad to serve immediately.

More lunch recipes

• Steak Salad with Dijon Mustard Dressing
• Simple Avocado Salad with Lemon Dressing
• Spicy Chicken Wings with Avocado Salad
• Smoked Salmon Boiled Egg Salad with Lemon Dressing
• Hot Honey Halloumi Fries