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27 Comments This easy halloumi and lentil salad is one of those recipes that proves a salad really doesn’t have to be boring. You’ve got salty, golden halloumi, nutty Puy lentils, juicy cherry tomatoes and fresh coriander. Add a little lemon and red onion and you have loads of flavor with hardly any effort.
It’s also a great salad when you want to get some extra vegetables onto your plate. The tomatoes and red onion are delicious as they are, but this is one of those recipes where you can easily throw in some cucumber, bell pepper or whatever else happens to be lurking in the vegetable drawer.
And then there’s the halloumi. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and quite difficult not to eat straight from the pan. Or is that just me?
Table of contents
Tip from Simone
Make the tomato mixture first and let it sit while you cook the lentils. The lemon, olive oil, garlic and onion will mingle with the juices from the tomatoes and basically create the dressing for the salad. Easy and delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this halloumi and lentil salad:
- Puy lentils – these small green lentils have a lovely nutty flavor and keep their shape well after cooking, making them perfect for salads. If you can’t find Puy lentils, use another firm green or brown lentil instead.
- Halloumi – the star of the show! Halloumi keeps its shape when heated, so you can fry it until golden and crispy. Feta can be used as an alternative, although you obviously don’t have to fry it.
- Cherry tomatoes – I use 250 grams of cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Regular tomatoes will work too; just chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Red onion – half a finely sliced red onion gives the salad a bit of crunch and sharpness. Shallot is a good substitute if you prefer something milder.
- Garlic – you only need half a clove here. It goes into the dressing raw, so a little goes a long way.
- Lemon – fresh lemon juice adds acidity and freshness and works really well with the salty halloumi.
- Olive oil – use a good extra virgin olive oil for the tomato mixture and a little extra for frying the halloumi.
- cilantro – don’t like the taste? You can swap it for flat leaf parsley
Add Some Extra Vegetables
The original recipe is quite simple, but you can easily increase the amount of vegetables. Cucumber would be my first choice as it goes really well with the halloumi, tomatoes and lemon.
You could also add diced bell pepper, arugula, spinach or some grilled zucchini. Roasted eggplant would be delicious too if you want to turn this into a slightly more substantial meal.
Basically, have a look in your vegetable drawer before you start. There’s a good chance something in there will work!
How to make halloumi and lentil salad
Step 1: Prepare the tomatoes
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the finely sliced red onion, crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
Toss everything together and leave it to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Step 2: Cook the lentils
Cook the Puy lentils for around 15 minutes or until tender. You want them cooked but still with a little bite; mushy lentils are not what we’re going for here.
Drain the lentils well and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Step 3: Fry the halloumi
Cut the halloumi into cubes. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and fry the halloumi until golden brown on all sides.
Keep an eye on it because once halloumi starts browning, it goes pretty quickly.
Step 4: Finish the salad
Roughly chop the fresh coriander and stir it through the lentils and tomatoes.
Divide the lentil salad between plates and add the freshly fried halloumi. I like to serve the halloumi straight from the pan while it is still warm and crispy.
Why Puy lentils work so well in a salad
Puy lentils are ideal for salads because they stay relatively firm after cooking. That gives this salad plenty of texture and means the lentils won’t disappear into a pile of mush when you toss everything together.
Their earthy, slightly nutty flavor also works really well with salty halloumi and sweet tomatoes.
If you can’t find Puy lentils, regular green lentils are the best replacement. You can also use ready-cooked lentils if you want to make the salad even quicker. Just drain and rinse them well before adding them to the tomatoes.
Storing halloumi and lentil salad
In the fridge: The lentil and tomato mixture can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 days. If you’re making the salad ahead, I would store the halloumi separately and fry it just before serving. Freshly fried halloumi is much nicer than cold, rubbery halloumi!
In the freezer: I wouldn’t recommend freezing the complete salad. The fresh tomatoes and onion won’t have the same texture after defrosting. You can freeze cooked lentils separately, though. Let them cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe container.
FAQ Halloumi and Lentil Salad
Yes. You can cook the lentils and prepare the tomato mixture in advance and keep them in the fridge. For the best result, fry the halloumi just before you want to eat the salad.
Absolutely. Ready-cooked lentils make this recipe even quicker. Drain them well and add them straight to the tomato mixture. If you prefer the salad warm, you can heat the lentils briefly first.
Green or brown lentils are the best substitutes because they keep their shape reasonably well. I wouldn’t use red lentils for this salad as they become much softer when cooked. Making red lentils perfect for things like this lentil dahl, but not for a salad.
Cucumber, bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, spinach and arugula all work well. If you want to add more vegetables without doing any extra cooking, cucumber, bell pepper or arugula are the easiest options.
You can, but halloumi is definitely at its best straight from the frying pan. Once it cools down it becomes firmer and slightly rubbery. That’s why I always add it to the salad at the last minute.
More Halloumi Recipes
Halloumi and Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 200 gr cherry tomato halved
- 150 gr puy lentils
- 150 gr halloumi
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
- 1/2 clove garlic crushed
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- fresh cilantro coriander
Instructions
- Half the tomatoes and toss them with the garlic, onion, juice of 1/2 a lemon and the olive together in a bowl. Don't like raw garlic or onion? You can also quickly sauté them in a pan before adding them.
- Cook the lentils for about 15 minutes or until tender, drain and add to the bowl. Season and toss.
- Chop 250 gr halloumi into cubes and fry in a splash of oil until golden. Let it drain on paper towels which will make them crisp up.Stir roughly chopped coriander through the salad and serve with the halloumi.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
I’ve picked up packages of haloumi but have never brought one home as I was unsure of what to do with it. But now it’s on my list for my next trip to my favorite little store which has a lovely selection of cheeses. What a perfect spring-time recipe. =) Can’t wait to try it.
Hope everything is going well with your Witje.
Sorry to read that your cat is not doing so well.
But I have to say the saled looks great.
Can I ask you, where did you buy the haloumi??
I’ve looked in some supermarkets but couldn’t find it..
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty cat feeling poorly. I truly hope she feels better soon and has a many more wonderful years with you.
On another note..never tried haloumi either, but your salad is a reason to do so. Looks lovely.
Sorry to hear that your friend (pet) isn’t doing so well. This sald sure looks great though
What a great salad! I love all these ingredients, and you put them together beautifully. So sorry about your cat–hope she starts feeling better.
Simone, I’m sorry to hear about your cat. We lost our last one just before we moved to Belgium. Now we travel too much to keep one, and I really miss that cat energy in the house. Plus the almost daily belly laughs that our last one gave us.
I’m going to have to google haloumi. Not sure what it is! But this looks like a lovely lunch.
Okay Simone, just wanted you to know praying hard that you have Witje awhile longer. I know how hard it was for you when you lost Joepie. I had the same experience before leaving for Europe – my dog in the Philippines, Feliz had an emergency operation but luckily she is better now.
Best wishes for your cat… I feel terrible hearing about this. 🙁
But the salad does look lovely. I can picture it with tofu instead of cheese- Yum!
I hope everything turns out well for your cat. It is always very traumatic to loose a pet and I can imagine how difficult it must be for you to leave her right now. The salad looks lovely and very healthy, although lentils are not my favourite thing in the world.
Simone, your *food* styling is beautiful.
This looks fabulous!