Treat yourself to a colourful Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian bowl. Layered with seasoned bulgur, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, seared halloumi and drizzled with a creamy lemon-garlic dressing.
Why does everything taste better in a bowl? Bowls are a delicious food trend showing up everywhere. A bowl meal is simply good, healthy and flavourful ingredients piled into a bowl to create a satisfying and protein-packed complete meal. Simple, easy and nothing fancy.
These easy-to-make bowls are inspired by Mediterranean cuisine which I love. Hearty and delicious they will keep you feeling full and energized. The base of the bowl is high fiber bulgur that’s seasoned with cumin and parsley. The bowls also include heart healthy olive oil and olives, fresh vegetables, citrus, parsley, Greek yogurt, protein-packed chickpeas and seared halloumi cheese.
Drizzle bowls with a creamy lemon-garlic dressing that’s so good you’ll want to put it on everything! This dressing is addictive and I often make a double batch to use for salads throughout the week.
Lemon-garlic dressing
Ingredients needed
- Greek yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Red wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Salt and pepper
How to make the lemon-garlic dressing
In a medium bowl add yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic oregano, salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients well until smooth and creamy. Keep the dressing refrigerated until needed.
How to cook the bulgur
- Gather the bulgur ingredients: bulgur, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, cumin and parsley
- Add all the ingredients except for the parsley to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed
- Stir in the chopped parsley, keep warm
How to sear the halloumi cheese
- Slice halloumi into ⅜” slices and pat dry with paper towels
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and lightly brush both sides of halloumi with olive oil
- Add halloumi slices to the hot skillet and sear the bottom side until a deep brown crust develops
- Flip the pieces over and sear the second side until a deep brown crust develops
Assemble the bowls
In shallow bowls layer warm bulgur, warm halloumi slices, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, lemon slices and parsley. Drizzle the bowls with lemon-garlic dressing or serve the dressing on the side.
Make ahead
You can prepare each element of the recipe in advance. When ready to serve you can use all the ingredients cold, or if desired, re-warm the bulgur and halloumi cheese slightly. This recipe makes 4 servings. Quite often when it’s just me and my husband at home, I assemble two bowls for dinner and separately pack the remaining ingredients in the fridge so we can assemble quick cold lunches during the week.
Bulgur
Bulgur wheat is a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. It’s a whole grain cereal made from dried, cracked wheat, has a nutty flavour with a chewy texture. Bulgur provides various nutrients and is a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and fiber. You can find bulgur in the international aisle of most grocery stores or the bulk food store.
Halloumi
Halloumi is a semi-hard, un-ripened, brined cheese that originates from Cyprus. It contains a good amount of protein and calcium and is made with a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes cow’s milk. It has a strong savoury and slightly salty bite with a firm rubbery texture. It has a high melting point which makes it perfect for frying, grilling or roasting as it browns or sears beautifully, doesn’t melt and stays intact. It’s a unique cheese and evens squeaks between your teeth when you eat it. You can find halloumi in the international cheese section of most grocery stores.
Try this delicious easy-to-prepare nutrient packed Mediterranean one-bowl meal!
Other bowls you’ll love
Mediterranean Bulgur and Halloumi Bowl
A Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian bowl layered with seasoned bulgur, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, seared halloumi and drizzled with a creamy lemon-garlic dressing.
Ingredients
Creamy Lemon-Garlic Dressing
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bulgur
- 1 cup medium bulgar
- 1 ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Halloumi
- 400 g halloumi cheese sliced into ⅜” thick slices, patted dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Other bowl ingredients
- 580 mL tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 mini cucumbers (Persian cucumbers) sliced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup red onion sliced
- 1 cup kalamata olives
- 1 lemon sliced for garnish
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
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Make the dressing: In a medium bowl add yogurt, buttermilk (or milk), olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and whisk well until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until needed.
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Cook the bulgur: In a medium saucepan add bulgur, vegetable broth, salt, pepper and cumin. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let sit covered for 10 more minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in chopped parsley.
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Sear the halloumi: Slice halloumi and pat it dry with paper towels. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brush both sides of each halloumi slice with olive oil. Add halloumi to the hot skillet and sear both sides until each slice develops a deep brown crust, about 1 -2 minutes per side.
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Assemble the bowls: In shallow bowls evenly layer warm bulgur, warm halloumi slices, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and olives. Drizzle bowls with dressing or serve dressing on the side. Garnish bowls with lemon slices and parsley.
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