Halloumi Sandwich with Grilled Vegetables

Deliciously filling and packed with veggies, this halloumi sandwich is great for a tasty dinner or lunch. Seared salty halloumi is stacked high with grilled vegetables, spinach and smashed avocado. This epic vegetarian sandwich will satisfy even the hardcore meat-eaters in your life!

This hearty sandwich is packed with grilled vegetables, salty halloumi and creamy avocado. We love halloumi, whether it's halloumi burgers or wraps, halloumi is always on the menu. This sandwich is one of our favourite summer dinners.

Sweet romano peppers are flame-grilled for extra flavour. The courgettes (zucchini) and halloumi are griddled to add more flavour. They all come together with creamy smashed avocado served on toasted ciabatta. Great hot or cold this sandwich is halloumi heaven!

Why This Recipe Works

• Griddled halloumi - perfectly soft and salty, so good in a sandwich
• Flame-grilled peppers - sweet romano peppers flame-grilled for extra flavour.
• Smashed avocado - no need for sauces here, that creamy avocado is just delicious!

What You'll Need

• Halloumi - for best results look for authentic Cypriot halloumi, I use full-fat halloumi.
• Romano Peppers - these are long sweet peppers, you should find them in all good supermarkets. If you can't find them then you can use a couple of bell peppers (capsicum) instead.
• Courgette/zucchini - look for the smaller courgettes, they have the most flavour. One medium courgette should do.
• Ciabatta - I use one long ciabatta, but you can use ciabatta rolls too. You can also use French baguette if you prefer.
• Avocado - you will need about one and a half large ripe avocados. Depending on the size of your avocado, if they are on the small side I recommend using two.
• Coriander /cilantro - a small bunch of fresh coriander is all you need, remove most the stem and then chop roughly.
• Spring onions (scallion) - I used two medium-sized spring onions if you don't have spring onions then half a small red onion will work well.
• Seasoning/cooking - sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and lime juice.

How To Make A Halloumi Sandwich

1. Make the smashed avocado - roughly mash the avocado with a fork. Add the chopped coriander/cilantro, chopped spring onions/scallions and lime juice and stir well, season to taste with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
2. Flame grill the red peppers - I do this on a gas hob, place the peppers on the burners and use a metal kitchen tongs to turn the peppers until they are blackened. Once blackened put the peppers in a large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool. Once cool peel the skin off the peppers then carefully cut the ends off and scoop out any seeds and fleshy bits. Slice into long thick strips.
3. Griddle the courgettes/zucchini - cut the courgettes in half then slice them lengthways. Brush the griddle with oil then cook the courgettes until browned, flip them and cook the other side until they are slightly soft. Wipe the pan clean then toast the ciabatta.
4. Cook the halloumi - griddle the sliced halloumi on a dry griddle pan. Place slices of halloumi on the pan, cook until they are crispy and have brown strips then turn them over and cook the other side. Build your sandwich, by spreading a good dollop of smashed avocado over one side of the ciabatta, add slices of pepper, courgette, halloumi and finish with a handful of spinach.

Tips For Making The Best Halloumi Sandwich

This is just a quick visual guide, full instructions are in the recipe card below.

• Roast or grill your veggies - if you don't have a gas hob you can roast the peppers in the oven. Roasting and grilling the vegetables for this sandwich really brings out the flavours of the veggies and adds more flavour to your sandwich.
• Dry the halloumi - I rinse my halloumi under the tap then pat it dry with kitchen paper/towel. This gets rid of the brine that the cheese is stored in. This will also get rid of some of the saltiness from the halloumi.
• Cooking the halloumi - there is no need to use oil in the pan to cook halloumi, this cheese has a high melting point and won't melt easily. Dry frying the halloumi will give you the best results. I use a well-seasoned cast-iron griddle pan to cook the halloumi if you don't have one of those you will still get very good results using a non-stick pan.

More Veggie Sandwich Inspiration

We love our sandwiches and there's no need to miss out or settle for a boring sandwich just because you're vegetarian. Try my Portobello Mushroom Sandwich for a tasty lunch or dinner. Want something a little different? Why not try my Falafel Wraps instead. If you want more halloumi then check out my Halloumi Fajitas, they make a very tasty quick and easy dinner.

Have you made this Halloumi Sandwich Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!