Grilled Harissa Halloumi and Veggie Skewers

These grilled harissa halloumi skewers are on of the best vegetarian grill dishes since they’re full of flavor and texture and easy to make!

In this easy skewer recipe, the veggies and halloumi, a semi-hard and salty cheese with a high melting point, turn deliciously tender and charred on the grill and take on the spicy-smoky flavor of the harissa.

Harissa is a spicy chili sauce that’s made with roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, garlic, coriander seeds and cumin. It’s a tasty condiment that you can use in a variety recipes including this harissa salsa, grilled harissa chicken skewers and harissa shrimp scampi.

The harissa doesn’t make the halloumi and veggies too spicy, it’s just enough to add a little heat and create a delicious savory flavor. It’s delicious!

We love these skewers since the they’re simple to prepare and cook up fast on the grill. They require about 20 minutes of prep work before they go on the grill to cook up.

They’re a tasty vegetarian grill option that’s full of flavor and perfect for gatherings.

What is Halloumi?

Halloumi originates from the island of Cyprus and is made from a combination of sheep and goat’s milk. It is a semi-hard, salty cheese that can be a little rubbery in texture (which softens when grilled or fried). It has a high melting point, which makes it ideal for grilling.

Halloumi is higher in saturated fat (it is a cheese after all), so you may want to monitor the amount you eat as it’s easy to gobble up and forget about it.

Key Ingredients

Halloumi: You can typically find halloumi in the cheese aisle at most grocers. It’s usually sold in 8-ounce square blocks and this recipe calls for one 8-ounce block. You’ll see that halloumi has minimal to no carbs.

Zucchini & Bell Pepper: We love the combination of sweet bell peppers and tender zucchini, but you could swap these with chopped red onions, mushroom heads and/or cherry tomatoes.

Harissa: We use Mina Harissa, a well-known brand that uses clean and simple ingredients and is only 1 net carb per tablespoon. Some harissa brands have more net carbs than others. Be sure to check the ingredients and avoid getting any with added sugar. When it comes to net carbs, we recommending sticking to one gram of net carbs per tablespoon (not teaspoon).

Cumin: A little cumin is added to enhance flavor and spice.

Garlic: We use two cloves of garlic, but feel free to add a few more if you like

Lemon juice: Lemon juice brightens up this dish!

Step-by-Step Instructions

STEP 1: Submerge 4 wooden bamboo skewers in a long pan filled with water for 20 minutes. Chop the block of halloumi into 1-inch squares. Remove the ribs and seeds from bell pepper and cut into 1 to 2 inch squares. Slice off the ends of the zucchini and cut into ¼- to ½-inch rounds.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, harissa, lemon juice, minced garlic, cumin. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the cut veggies and halloumi to the marinade and toss together. Let marinade for 15 minutes

STEP 3: Thread the skewers with the veggies surrounding each piece of halloumi. You may need to double up some of the veggies when threading (since there will be more veggies than halloumi). Leave a little space between each. When threading the halloumi, be gentle and go slow so it does not crumble. If it starts to crack, simply remove and rethread in a part that is not cracked (flip around). If it breaks in half, simply rethread the smaller chunks as best as you can.

STEP 4: Heat the grill on high to 500 degrees. Put the prepared kebabs on the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side. When done, remove from grill. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top if desired. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips for Preparing the Skewers

• Chopping the halloumi: Chop the block of halloumi into 1-inch squares (our squares sometimes turn into rectangles as we’re not too precise about it!). Halloumi can be a little crumbly, so you don’t want to fuss with it too much when chopping.
• Chopping the veggies: We string the skewers with two of our favorite low-carb grilling veggies: red bell pepper and zucchini. To prepare the bell pepper, you’ll remove the ribs and seeds and cut into 1 to 2 inch squares (does not have to be perfect!). For the zucchini, you’ll slice off the ends and cut into ¼- to ½-inch rounds.
• Marinating: After cutting up the veggies and halloumi, you’ll marinate the veggies and halloumi in a large bowl with the marinade for 15 minutes.
• Threading the skewer: We recommend using the thinnest bamboo skewers you can buy since the thicker skewers are more likely to break the halloumi when threading.
  Before threading the skewers, be sure to soak the bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes (during this time you’ll be cutting up the ingredients and letting them marinade). We typically thread the skewers with the veggies surrounding each piece of halloumi. You’ll likely have more veggies than halloumi, so you may want to double up the veggies when threading.

  Also, be sure to leave a little bit of space between each skewer piece (grills better that way). Last but not least, threading the skewers with the halloumi cubes can be tricky. Do it slowly and gently as the cheese can crack and crumble. If it does start to crack, simply remove and rethread the halloumi in a part that is not cracked (flip it around). If it breaks in half, simply rethread on the the smaller chunks as best as you can.

• Grilling: Heat the grill on high — at 500 degrees. As soon the grill is the right temp, put the skewers on and grill them for about 3 to 5 minutes per side, until the cheese and veggies begin to char.

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Recipe

Greek Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers

Low-Carb Simplified

These harissa halloumi skewers are on of the best vegetarian grill dishes since they’re full of flavor and texture and easy to make!

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 32 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4

Calories 285.4 kcal

Instructions 

• Get started: Submerge 4 wooden bamboo skewers in a long pan filled with water for 20 minutes.

• Prepare your vegetables and halloumi cheese: Chop the block of halloumi into 1-inch squares. Remove the ribs and seeds from bell pepper and cut into 1 to 2 inch squares. Slice off the ends of the zucchini and cut into ¼- to ½-inch rounds.

• Marinate: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, harissa, lemon juice, minced garlic and cumin. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the cut veggies and halloumi to the marinade and toss together. Let marinade for 15 minutes

• Thread the skewers: Thread the skewers with the veggies surrounding each piece of halloumi. You may need to double up some of the veggies when threading (since there will be more veggies than halloumi). Leave a little space between each. When threading the halloumi, be gentle and go slow so it does not crumble. If it starts to crack, simply remove and rethread in a part that is not cracked (flip around). If it breaks in half, simply rethread the smaller chunks as best as you can.

• Grill: Heat the grill on high to 500 degrees. Put the prepared kebabs on the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side. When done, remove from grill. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 285.4kcalCarbohydrates: 3.7gProtein: 13.9gFat: 25.2gSaturated Fat: 12.2gCholesterol: 44.5mgSodium: 697.8mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 1.6gNet Carbs: 3gProtein Percentage: 19%