Caramelized Carrot and Halloumi Salad
Published May 22, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (halved lengthwise if large)
- 1medium red onion, halved crosswise and cut into ½-inch wedges
- 8ounces halloumi cheese, patted dry and torn into bite-size pieces
- 8tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1tablespoon za’atar, store-bought or homemade, plus more for serving
- 1teaspoon honey
- 1medium bunch (about 8 ounces) lacinato (Tuscan) kale (see Tip), ribs removed, leaves torn or coarsely chopped
- 2(6-inch) pita breads, torn into bite-size pieces
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
700 calories; 53 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 913 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the carrots, red onion and halloumi on the prepared pan. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in an even layer. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons olive oil with the vinegar, za’atar, honey and a pinch of salt until combined and emulsified. Add the kale and toss well to coat.
- Step 3
Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Toss the vegetables and move them to one side of the pan. Add the pita to the now-empty side of the pan, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and use tongs to toss and coat in the oil. Spread the pita out into an even layer (it’s OK if the pieces overlap) and continue to roast until vegetables are tender and caramelized, the halloumi is golden and crisp and the pita is toasted, 7 to 10 minutes more. (If you’d like to make this salad ahead, see Tip.)
- Step 4
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of dressed kale and toss well to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Divide among individual shallow bowls and garnish with a generous sprinkle of za’atar.
- Tuscan kale is the best variety for this salad because it’s more tender than curly kale, which can be quite tough raw. That said, you can use curly kale if needed. Massage it with your hands before tossing it in the vinaigrette to help soften it.
- The salad can be almost completely assembled up to a day ahead of time, just reserve the pita, storing it in a separate airtight container. Store the tossed salad without the pita in another airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, bring the tossed salad to room temperature, combine it with the pita, then taste and freshen the salad with a little more olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper as needed before garnishing with za'atar.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this for a party this weekend and it was a smash hit. One modification for next time is to extend the cooking time to 30 minutes and to add the halloumi halfway through. This allows the veggies to get nice and caramelized without having overly crispy halloumi. I ended up picking the halloumi off and putting the veggies in again to finish to get the desired doneness.
The NY Times seems to think using just one sheet pan saves all sorts of trouble because it's less to clean up. Recipes like this go to extra lengths to support this idea, but I really don't like trying to juggle competing cooking times. Cleaning a second pan is a cinch compared to trying to get everthing cooked in one pan. I'm glad to know that the cooking times for the vegetables and halloumi are likely to be different, and when I try this I'll use two different pans.
If you live in the southwest you can substitute Mexican panela cheese for halloumi. It's basically the same and about 1/3 of the price.
Had everything but kale, so I made this a grain bowl with farro instead! Yum! And tossed some arugula in there. I too increased roasting time, an extra 10 mins.
The salad was excellent, the dressing less so. But I will definitely make this again using a different recipe for dressing. I followed the separate cooking in two pans instruction, but would add that you should flip the halloumi over halfway through cooking.
versatile and delicious. we added a can of beans and tons more veggies to the oven from our CSA an garden (radishes, beets, zucchini, snap peas, green beans) and increased the dressing a bit for good coverage. agree that the amount of oil suggested for the roasting was excessive, even with all the extra veg we added there was still too much. but otherwise a keeper!