Roasted Sweet Potato & Halloumi Salad

This refreshing sweet potato and halloumi salad is filled with roasted sweet potatoes, fresh mint, lentils and quinoa in a simple lemon vinaigrette dressing. It's perfect for spring picnics, summer BBQ's or a delicious vegetarian lunch!

Looking for a fresh, lively and healthy dish that’s bursting with flavour? You’ve come to the right place!

This sweet potato halloumi salad combo is truly the best. It’s super refreshing, versatile and makes for the perfect spring or summer salad idea! You can serve it as a weeknight dinner side dish, main meal or bring to a BBQ or gathering of sorts. It's been a crowd pleaser for years and I'm so excited to finally share it with you!

As a nutritionist, I’ve made sure that this recipe is full of nutritious ingredients that pack in lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! The secret here is using tons of freshly chopped parsley and mint leaves instead of regular salad greens. Absolute game changer! It’s also got healthy fats (from the seeds), protein (from the cheese and lentils), as well as some energizing carbs (from the sweet potato and quinoa).

Ingredients Needed

All you need to make this halloumi salad recipe are the ingredients below. If needed, you can always swap or leave out some of the grains/ seeds or legumes – this recipe is flexible!

• Halloumi cheese
• Roasted sweet potato
• Quinoa (or another grain, like couscous)
• Canned lentils
• Red onion
• Fresh mint 
• Parsley
• Pumpkin seeds
• Dried cranberries (or raisins or sultanas instead)

For the balsamic vinaigrette dressing:

• Lemon juice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Olive oil

How to make this sweet potato and halloumi salad

Sweet potatoes: Wash and dry your sweet potatoes, then chop into ½-inch pieces, leaving the skin on. You can also peel them if you prefer. Toss the sweet potato chunks in olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until tender and brown.

Quinoa: Cook quinoa according to package directions or use pre-cooked quinoa if you have some on hand. Note I usually keep 1 cup cooked portions in bags in the freezer! Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a hurry? Spread it on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Veggies: Chop the herbs, dice the red onion and add to a large bowl with lentils, pepitas, cranberries, cooled roasted sweet potato chunks and cooked quinoa.

Dressing: Make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients to a small bowl or jar with a lid. Whisk or shake together.

Halloumi: Cut the halloumi cheese into ¼-inch thick slices. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium and add slices directly to the pan (there is no need for additional oil). Allow to cook, undisturbed for about 1-2 minutes. Check to see if the underside is starting to brown and crisp. When it does, you can flip each piece over and repeat on the other side. Remove from heat when done.

Assemble: Pour dressing over the salad and toss everything together. Plate salad and top with fried halloumi cheese. Enjoy!

Change It Up

This salad recipe is versatile. Here are a few ways to change it to suit your needs:

• Feel free to leave out or sub the lentils for another legume like cannellini beans or chickpeas. If you're not a fan of beans, simply add another cup of cooked quinoa.
• Pumpkin (butternut squash) would work well in place of the sweet potato. Or, you could save time and simplify the recipe by swapping raw diced apples for the sweet potato.
• Any cooked whole grain will work in place of the quinoa; wild rice; couscous or farro would be really nice.
• While the mint and parsley base really do bring this salad to life, you could try swapping one for a leafy green, like baby kale, rocket (arugula) or chopped baby spinach leaves.
• While halloumi is the star ingredient, you can always play around with other cheeses like feta or goat cheese.

Salad Notes

This is a seriously flavoursome salad that makes great leftovers. Be sure to store the sweet potato and halloumi salad and lemon vinaigrette dressing separately if you intend to have leftovers that last for a few days. You can toss it all together at once, but the herbs will brown fairly quickly—not a bad effect if you’re eating it all within a day or so.

You don't need to add oil when cooking halloumi, as it has quite a high fat content. Cut the halloumi into 1cm thick slices and dry fry in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook halloumi for 1-2 mins.

If you want to prepare this ahead of time, cook the quinoa and roast the sweet potatoes the day before serving. Store in separate airtight containers in the fridge and chop the herbs just before mixing.  Personally, I like to batch cook my quinoa and freeze in 1 cup cooked portions in the freezer.

More delicious salad recipes:

Warm Cheesy Kale Mushroom Quinoa Salad

Moroccan Cauliflower with Coriander Yoghurt Sauce

Miso Glazed Pumpkin + Kale Salad

If you try this sweet potato halloumi salad recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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