043 / 75 · Tofu, Eggs and Everyday Vegetarian Meals
Pan-Fried Halloumi with Lentils and Parsley
2 warm lentil plates, each topped with half the browned halloumi · Active 30 min · Total 40 min
Print recipe · PDFHalloumi browns in a skillet without flowing into a melted sauce, making it a useful contrast to warm lentils and parsley. It needs dry surfaces and a short spell of undisturbed heat. The lentils begin fully cooked, so this meal is about reheating and finishing rather than waiting for dry pulses to soften. Serve it promptly while the cheese is warm and the lentils are still loose.
Prepare everything before the cheese
Chop the onion and parsley, drain the lentils and mix the lemon dressing first. Halloumi is most agreeable straight from the pan; it can become firmer as it cools. Warm the lentils with onion and a little water in a separate pan, then finish with lemon and parsley off the heat. This gives the cheese a ready landing place. Use the full weighed parsley rather than a few decorative leaves: it is part of the warm lentil mixture, not an added garnish. An already cooked lentil batch retains its original storage deadline after this meal is made.
Let dry cheese meet a hot pan
Drain the halloumi block and pat its surface with a clean towel before slicing. Aim for broad slices of similar thickness. A thin oil film and a nonstick pan are enough; the recipe is not shallow-fried in a pool of oil. Leave the first side alone until it develops a golden crust, then turn once with a thin spatula. Brown means colored, not blackened. The cheese already contains salt, so there is no additional salt in the base recipe. Nutrition is calculated using a specified manufacturer’s plain halloumi panel alongside USDA ingredients, rather than pretending all grilling cheeses share one composition. A different brand, a lighter product or a chili-flavored block needs its own label check; the source panel’s missing fiber is left unavailable.
Ingredients
- Plain halloumi cheese, drained and sliced 3/8 inch/1 cm thick (160 g)
- About 1 1/2 cups fully cooked unsalted whole lentils, drained (300 g)
- 1 small onion, finely diced (80 g)
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley (20 g)
- 4 teaspoons olive oil (20 ml/about 18 g), divided
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice (20 ml/about 20 g)
- 2 tablespoons water (30 ml)
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (0.3 g)
Set out
Small saucepan with lid, 24 cm/9-inch nonstick skillet, Thin spatula, Small bowl, Knife and board, Clean towel, Kitchen scale, Measuring spoon, Food thermometer, 2 plates
Allergens
Milk; check the cheese label and any canned-lentil ingredients. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat half the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion for 6–8 minutes until softened. Fold in cooked lentils, water and pepper, cover and heat gently for 5–6 minutes until 165°F/74°C throughout. Keep covered off the heat briefly while frying cheese.
- Meanwhile pat the drained halloumi dry and cut into even broad 3/8-inch (1 cm) slices. Heat the remaining oil in the nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cheese in one layer and cook for 2–3 minutes until the underside is golden; turn once and cook for 1–2 minutes on the other side. Follow its package cooking guidance.
- Fold lemon juice and chopped parsley through the hot lentils and divide between 2 plates. Top each with half the browned halloumi and serve immediately.
A useful kitchen skill
Pat a grilling cheese dry and have its warm accompaniment ready before the quick final pan-fry.
A useful detail
Base nutrition uses the official DODONI Australia plain Halloumi per100g panel: 316 kcal and 23 g protein, with no fiber value supplied. Other ingredients use USDA records. This is a transparent product basis, not a brand recommendation; your block may differ. Lentils are already cooked.
Another way
- Use 300 g drained canned lentils instead of boiled unsalted lentils, checking the product label and using its own nutrition values.
- Replace parsley with 20 g chopped dill for a different herb profile and a revised estimate.
Keep it well
Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Store cheese and lentils separately for up to 3 days, or the original lentils’ remaining safe period, whichever is shorter. Reheat portions to 165°F/74°C. Halloumi becomes firmer on reheating; the lentils can be reheated covered with a little water.