Greek Halloumi and Vegetable Pita Pockets
with tzatziki / carrot sticks
Halloumi is a semi-hard brined cheese that has a high-melting point, perfect for frying or grilling. We sear it on the stove-top to get a delicious golden brown color and serve it with veggies and tzatziki for a Greek-inspired pita pocket.
Smarts: Make the tzatziki ahead of time to allow the flavors to develop and save some dinnertime prep!
Ingredients
- Cucumbers - 8 oz, finely diced
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Mint, fresh - 2 Tbsp, chopped
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1 cup
- Carrots - 8 oz, sticks for dipping
- Cheese, Halloumi - 12 oz, 1/2" / 1.3 cm thick slices
- Tomatoes, Roma - 2, thinly sliced
- Lettuce, romaine - 4 leaves, torn
- Pita bread - 4 rounds
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make tzatziki - Dice cucumbers. Chop garlic and mint. Combine cucumbers, garlic, mint, and yogurt. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Carrots (and celery if you have any leftover) - Slice into sticks for dipping. If prepping ahead, soak in water to help them stay crisp. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Halloumi - Rinse halloumi (it’s often stored in salt water and will benefit from a quick rinse). Slice into 1/2" / 1.3 cm thick slices. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Tomatoes / Lettuce - Prep as directed.
- Pita - Slice pita in half and gently pull apart to form pockets. (Note: Don’t worry if your pita rounds won’t easily form pockets. You can use the two halves like hamburger buns and assemble them with the halloumi and toppings in the middle.)
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Make
- Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with cooking oil and then place halloumi slices on heated oil.
- Cook halloumi slices on both sides until deep golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes total.
- Heat pita pockets in the microwave or toaster just until warm.
- Assemble pita pockets by filling each pita half with lettuce, tomatoes, halloumi, and some tzatziki. (As noted above, you can also just stack the toppings between two pita pocket halves like a more traditional burger.)
- Serve pita pockets with carrots (and celery, if using) and remaining tzatziki on the side for dipping. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
24 reviews
The vegetarian version of this recipe is awesome! I was looking for a grilled cheese recipe for a meatless recipe and found this. The halloumi was so easy to work with, and also delicious. It fit in the pita pocket perfectly. We added sun-dried tomato pesto from week of 5/20/19 and also arugula from that week.
0 HelpfulI strayed from the recipe a bit. I intended to make it with burger buns instead of pita, but then the buns were moldy so instead I cut up all the bits and ate it like a salad. Added some feta cheese on top. I used a different tzatziki recipe (with dill instead of mint).
0 Helpful