What to Serve with Halloumi Cheese? 7 BEST Side Dishes

Cheese is one of the most popular foods worldwide, and every culture has its recipe.

Halloumi is one of the varieties attributed to Cyprus.

It comes from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk and also cow’s milk at times.

Halloumi is quite versatile, and you can make many dishes with it.

At the same time, you can also eat it with other dishes.

If you’re wondering what to serve with halloumi, continue reading.

We will list at least seven dishes below that pair with halloumi, which you can serve at dinner or when you have guests.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Halloumi Cheese?

Halloumi cheese has a higher melting point; therefore, it’s ideal for grilling, frying, and baking.

You can also use it raw in salads.

But you can’t eat a significant portion at one go as it’s tangy and salty.

It’s also impractical to consume one item in large quantities.

That’s why you need to consider serving side dishes with halloumi cheese.

Moreover, if halloumi is on the menu for your party, you naturally need at least two or three more side dishes to serve with it.

Else, the food table will look pretty lonesome with only the cheese plate.

So, let’s find out more about what you can serve with halloumi cheese.

What to Serve with Halloumi Cheese? 7 BEST Side Dishes

It’s a versatile cheese, so we will mention dishes you can serve with raw, grilled, or fried halloumi.

1 – Mixed Vegetable Salad

People often use halloumi as a meat replacement.

So, you can serve a fresh veggie salad alongside the cheese.

Whether it’s grilled, fried, or raw, the cheese will taste excellent with the salad.

You can place the cheese separately and enjoy it like a different dish, or you can use it as a topping on the salad.

Either way, you will be delighted with the flavors.

To make a simple salad, you can use onions, tomatoes, mint leaves, bell pepper, and carrots.

You will have a combination of sweet, sour, and salty flavors that will make your palate sing.

Halloumi is also rich in calcium, so adding it to your diet in moderate amounts can benefit your bones and teeth.

2 – Tomato Za’atar Soup

Add some Middle-eastern flavors by incorporating za’atar in tomato soup.

If you have chunks of fried halloumi cheese, the tomato za’atar soup is an ideal side dish to serve with it.

You can take a bite of the cheese and eat a spoonful of soup, and you will see how well they work together.

You can fry the cheese after slicing it into bite-size pieces.

If you want to amp up the flavor, coat the pieces in flour before frying.

For making the soup, choose Roma tomatoes because they have a low-seed count and a firm, flavorful flesh.

The San Marzano variety is also a good choice if you can’t find Roma.

3 – Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

Halloumi cheese is tangy and salty, and combining it with a sweet and spicy curry will bring a perfect balance in flavors.

So, we added this sweet potato and spinach curry, which you can serve with the cheese.

Sweet potatoes are a suitable base for soup-they are rich, earthy, and brightly colored.

But you can make many things with them, and curry is one such dish.

Spinach adds freshness and an earthy flavor, and you can give a twist to the dish by including chickpeas.

The curry tastes great with any halloumi cheese, but you can fry it to make the dishes even more flavorful.

4 – Couscous Salad

You can also add couscous salad to the list because it’s a simple but delicious dish.

It also pairs nicely with halloumi cheese.

Though semolina is the main ingredient in couscous, you can add other ingredients such as tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and sliced red cabbage.

Add a pinch of salt, lemon juice, zest, and herbs like cilantro, mint, or basil according to preference.

Though you can consume the cheese as it is, the grilled or fried version will taste even better with the couscous salad.

5 – Pasta with Mint and Cherry Tomatoes

Pasta and cheese also go hand in hand, so why not add one dish to the mix? Pasta with mint and cherry tomatoes is simple yet flavorful, and it will enhance the taste of halloumi even more.

This dish is also best with fried halloumi.

So, just slice the cheese according to the size which you prefer and lightly fry them.

To make the dish, roast tomatoes with mint and garlic for about half an hour.

While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the pasta.

You can also toast some nuts, but that’s optional.

Mix all the ingredients together while hot and add some balsamic vinegar, and it’s ready to serve.

Mix the cheese in the pasta dish or enjoy both dishes separately.

6 – Potato and Zucchini Hash with Tomato Sauce

Hash typically contains meat, but you can omit it as you’ll be serving the dish alongside halloumi cheese which is a meat replacement.

As with the other dishes, there are two ways to enjoy them.

You can include chunks of fried halloumi in the dish or serve them separately.

It’s a pretty simple dish to make, and you can also do a large batch at once if you plan to serve it to guests.

First, you have to boil potatoes and keep them aside for a while after draining the water.

Next, fry them till they’re brown and crispy.

Add the chopped zucchini, garlic, red onion, salt, and pepper.

When all the ingredients turn brown, add some tomato sauce and top it with eggs, and they’re ready to be served alongside the fried cheese.

7 – Sweet Chili Mayo Dipping Sauce

If your menu for a party includes bit-size fried halloumi, you will need the perfect dipping sauce.

So, we thought, what could be better than sweet chili mayo dipping sauce?

The sauce is quite simple to make, and you need just five ingredients, including mayonnaise, salt, sour cream, black pepper, and sweet chili sauce.

Mix until all the items blend into one thick creamy dipping sauce.

Coat each halloumi piece in seasoned flour and fry till golden brown.

Serve these with the dipping sauce and see how everyone loves to eat them.

Conclusion

Whether you include halloumi in a dish or serve it separately, all the items above are compatible, and each one will taste delicious.

If you’re serving the cheese to guests, keep it separate so they can choose what to eat it with.

When serving dinner at home, you can add the cheese to your dishes or eat them separately.

Whichever way you go, you will have great flavors and textures with each bite.