054 / 75 · Vegetables, fish and hearty plates

Carrot, Halloumi and Butter Bean Bowls

Name: Carrot, Halloumi and Butter Bean Bowls
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 light bowls, each with half the carrot-bean base, 60 g (2.1 oz) drained halloumi and 50 g (1.8 oz) bread
Ingredients: 250 g (8.8 oz) peeled carrots, cut into even 3 mm (⅛ in) slices, large carrots halved lengthways first; 45 ml (3 US tbsp) water; 240 g (8.5 oz) ready-to-eat canned butter beans, drained and rinsed; 120 g (4.2 oz) commercially prepared pasteurized halloumi, drained and cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) cubes; choose a label that permits ready-to-eat use without cooking; 10 ml (2 US tsp) olive oil; 20 ml (1 US tbsp plus 1 US tsp) lemon juice; 1 g ground cumin, about ½ US tsp; 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch, or less if the halloumi is salty; 0.2 g ground black pepper, a small pinch; 5 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 2 US tbsp finely chopped; 100 g (3.5 oz) soft wholemeal bread, 50 g (1.8 oz) per person

2 light bowls, each with half the carrot-bean base, 60 g (2.1 oz) drained halloumi and 50 g (1.8 oz) bread · Active 16 min · Cook 11 min · Total 35 min

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Thin carrots and butter beans make a soft warm base for small cubes of ready-to-eat halloumi. The cheese warms gently against the hot food after its main heating, keeping its shape without a pretend grilled surface. Lemon, cumin and parsley are measured into the bowl, with soft bread included for each portion.

Jump to ingredients

Carrots and butter beans with pale halloumi cubes and bread.

Thin carrots cook before the beans

Cut the carrots into even 3 mm slices, halving a particularly wide carrot first. Give them the full covered steaming stage before adding canned beans. A fork should enter the thickest slice easily. Keep the small amount of cooking water, which becomes part of the lemony coating rather than draining away the flavor.

Choose cheese meant to be eaten fresh

Select commercially prepared pasteurized halloumi whose label permits ready-to-eat use without a mandatory cook. Some halloumi is served fresh as well as grilled. Here small cubes are folded into hot beans after the covered stand and left for one minute to warm gently. A cheese with required cooking instructions needs its full separate labeled process and changes this method and clock.

Ingredients

250 g (8.8 oz) peeled carrots, cut into even 3 mm (⅛ in) slices, large carrots halved lengthways first
45 ml (3 US tbsp) water
240 g (8.5 oz) ready-to-eat canned butter beans, drained and rinsed
120 g (4.2 oz) commercially prepared pasteurized halloumi, drained and cut into 1 cm (⅜ in) cubes; choose a label that permits ready-to-eat use without cooking
10 ml (2 US tsp) olive oil
20 ml (1 US tbsp plus 1 US tsp) lemon juice
1 g ground cumin, about ½ US tsp
0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch, or less if the halloumi is salty
0.2 g ground black pepper, a small pinch
5 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 2 US tbsp finely chopped
100 g (3.5 oz) soft wholemeal bread, 50 g (1.8 oz) per person

Set out

1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe bowl, 1.5 L (1.6 US qt) capacity, with vented cover, Knife and board, Fork and spoon, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Food thermometer, Oven mitts, Two serving bowls

Allergens

Milk, Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

Put carrots and all the water in the 1.5 L bowl. Cover with the vented cover and microwave at 1000 W full power for 4 minutes. Stir, then cook 2–4 minutes more until the thickest carrot slices are fork-tender. Keep all the liquid.
Fold in the butter beans, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover and microwave at full power for 2 minutes. Stir gently from the bottom and heat 30–60 seconds more, until 165°F/74°C in the center and several other areas. Add short bursts and recheck if a spot is cooler. Leave covered for 2 minutes.
Stir the ready-to-eat halloumi cubes and all the lemon juice into the hot carrot-bean mixture. Cover and leave outside the microwave for 1 minute to take the chill from the cheese. The cheese stays in distinct pale cubes; do not expect it to melt or develop a crust.
Fold in all the chopped parsley. Divide the entire carrot, bean, halloumi and retained juices between two bowls and serve 50 g bread with each. Eat promptly after assembly.

The cheese is weighed after draining

Each bowl contains 60 g actual drained halloumi, not 60 g brine and cheese combined. Its saltiness varies, so the base salt is deliberately small.

A pale finish is accurate

This covered microwave meal has no grill or frying stage. The illustration should show pale halloumi cubes and tender carrots, not charred cheese stripes.

Ingredient labels

Check halloumi and bread labels for additional ingredients, including sesame or soy.

A useful detail

The 35-minute estimate allows slicing and measuring, up to 8 minutes carrot heating and 3 minutes bean heating, a 2-minute covered stand, 1 minute gentle off-heat cheese warming and serving. It depends on ready-to-eat halloumi, not a product that requires a separate safety cook. The cheese is warmed by the hot base rather than grilled; extra carrot or temperature-check bursts extend the clock.

Another way

Use 120 g (4.2 oz) ready-to-eat feta in the same small cubes instead of halloumi. Fold gently at the same off-heat stage; the dish still contains milk.
Replace butter beans with 240 g (8.5 oz) drained ready-to-eat canned chickpeas and use the same full heating and stand.

Keep it well

Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below, or a colder temperature if the halloumi label requires it. Use within 2 days or sooner if the cheese label directs. Keep bread separate. Reheat once, covered and stirred, until 165°F/74°C throughout, then stand covered for 2 minutes; the halloumi will become firmer on reheating.